By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1907, in the Office of t. Z Washington, D. C., by STREET & SMITH, 79-59 Seventh Avenue, New York, N. Y. _NEW YORK, AUGUST 10, 1907. Price, Five Cents es SANS St —6 eS aS panes é BI - i lees eae 3 : k = pened : ee 2 : 4 Sh ys i YE ae waa c ee nae LTRS ce OF Nay a yo ae Us - 5 * @eWe can’t turn them!” shoufed Ben, while the King of the Wild West raced on toward the “se silent form of his girl pard. a Sear e ‘ oe Spe, : £ ra ty i : : Issued Weekly. By subscription $2.soper year. Entered de to Act of Congress tn the year 1907, tn pe ‘Office of the Librarian 2 ae Washington, D. C., & STREET & SMITH, 79-59 Seventh Avenue, New York, NV: ¥. i ‘NEW YORK, ‘August Io, 1907. 4 Price Five Cents. King of the Wild West and the Cattle Raiders; Wie OR, Bs NED TAYLOR. CHAPTER I. oe THE PAISLEY CATTLE-PENS. oo Pud!. \ hea aiet you, Carl ?” pute.” _ “Well, what’s ter pay? Somethin’ gone crossways >” e “Meppy, aber I don’d know. I hear someding in der NeXt pen.’ “Like as not it’s ther cattle movin’ eround.” “Der cattle in dot pen are call lying town, Pud. Some man iss in der pen, I bed you.? » Go on! A man ‘u'd be plum foolish ter git inter a _ pen at night with er lot o’ wild critters like these hyer.” _ “Sure, aber I, bed you someding for nodding id’s a man, schust der same. Led’s take der lantern und haf a look.” Bud Morgan bo up from the pile of ties on which he had been sitting, lifted the lantern, and turned the light a little higher. Z On the following morning the rough ie were to Hea a lot of cattle from the Two-Bar, Ted\ Strong’s new ranch on the Little Musselshell. The cattle were in he } pens at Paisley, Montana, the string of “empties” was on the siding opposite the chutes, and Bud Morgan and sat Schwartz were Warehing the animals "during the ; night. a a the darkness, Carl had heard a sound suggestive of the fact that some human being was among the steers in one of the pens. aes a man should s° into the pen y among the half-wild cattle was a mystery—so much of a mystery that Bud had little faith in Carl’s story. | While Bud was making ready to accompany Carl ee to the cattle-pen, some one came hurrying toward them out of the darkness that lay between the stock-pens and _ the railroad station, ‘ “Who iss dot?” cried Carl, not knowing. but that this stratger might have something to do with ‘the man in the en. “Faith it’s O’ Flannagan,” breathing hard. A moment later and Barney O’Flannagan, night fire- man on the Paisley switch-engine, pushed into the glow. of the lantern. There was a bruise on the side of his grimy face; and a trickle of blood was flowing down over his cheek. “What’s the matter with ye, Ray oe ued Bud. All"the rough riders were on friendly terms with the Paisley railroad men, and Barney O’Flannagan, of the night switching crew, was known the best of any of them. “Somepody peen hammering you on der plock, Par- ney?” inquired Carl, his eyes on O’Flannagan’s bruised face. “The divil fly away wid th’ called a voice from the dark, 422 rapscallion ! prunted a) _O’Flannagan, pulling off his greasy cap and drawing the sleeve of his jumper across his forehead. “Th’ driver was over beyant th’ depot at th’ shart-arder house f'r a_ “cup 0’ coffee an’ a sandwich, an’ I was oilin’ round, whin- a blackguard jumps at me over th’ nose iv th’ pilot. an hands me a crack afore iver | knowed what he was about, ROUGH RIDER. WEEKLY. cob soe th’ can, an’ lout ceded bak. an’ thin th’ fee : ler got clost enough. t? soot wan hand into me pocket. “But it’s a hard head I have, d’ ye moind, an’ I got me: wits back in a wink iv yer eye an’ let th’ blackguard have both feet in th’ pit iv hi§ shtomach. He jumped an, ‘reelin’ a bit, thin got th’ whip-hand iv himself an’ rushed down th’ thrack toward th’ See pene toon by this way, b’ys?” “We didn’t see any one run by, Barney,” Did anny wan answered ud, “but Carl, here, swears thet hé heerd some un among. ‘ther cattle in ther pen next ter this.” - “Glory be!” cried OQ’ Flannagan. blackguard so’t he played out an’ had t’ roon in among th’ shteers t’ lay oP ita whoile. pen.” By that time the steers in ‘the other pen were showing traces of excitement. To go among them on foot, in their Trent wrought-up condition, was not to be thought of. _ Barney stood on the fence, and borrowed the lantern to flash it about over the mass of gleaming eyes and horns below him. One of the steers, more vicious than the rest, ushed at the light. The light, of course, was too high for the steer to teach, but the steer's impact against the boards caused ihe fence to shake, and the engineman was precipitated backward. Bud and Carl, who were standing at the foot of the fence, put out their arms and fieee O’Flannagan as he fell. Ve 2 Divitl take th’. ploody-moinded ceuvtuetsl !” growled O’Flannagan, as ‘the rough riders set him upright. - man could live a minyit in thot pen, or 7 _ “Dere he goes,” yelled Carl suddenly, glimpsing a fig- ure pushing through the boards, some distance away; _ “dere he goes like some plue shtreaks !” ~ Don't let him give yez th’ shlip !” shouted O’Flanna- gan. “Kape afther him, Carl, an’ Bud an’ | will be kapin’ vaither you!’ _ “He’s a robber, Carl! i? whooped Bud. stop, give him a taste o’ yer hardware.” - Carl had started after the dark figure which was cross- ing: the railroad tracks like a swiftly gliding blot. As for drawing a weapon and taking a shot at the running fig-. ure, he had not the time. At any moment the blot might glide into a deeper. Ganicions from which it could not be distinguished. So Carl did not ‘give the evil- ioe a “taste of his hurd ware” nor even lift his voice to call upon him to stop. _ Sharp. aADIRE takes beeen and Carl had no breath to ‘Spare. _ Twenty lot entae Carl came 0 Flannagan and Bud, sprinting swiftly—Bud carrying the lantern.” The pur- ‘sued man seemed making for a string of empty box-cars _ that had been shunted onto a siding at the farther side of the yard. __ When he reached the box-cars he disappeared hewaeeh two of them. “He has gone droo der pox- -cars !” Carl fone time to shout back to the two behind him. _ The words were ‘hardly out of his mouth before the sharp, i incisive note of a revolver echoed across-the yard. Simultaneously with the sound there came a smash of glass and the light went out of the lantern. _ “He didn’t go through ther train,” cried Bud, thet’s a cinch. He’s still on this side 0’ the keers.” Carl took time, then, to unlimber one of his six-shooters and let loose with two or ase shots. But he might as “Maybe | wihdce the eee Have, a look in th’ . “Nor “Tf he won't 2 -commodation, due in Paisley in half an’ hour. s Car. wal have saved his ara eon: ie) tc as any senehe the expenditure of it did him. The pursued man launched only. the one bullet;after that, his whereabouts | was | steeped | in mysterious silence. | | “Kape right afther th OF lannagan. “Don’t let him git away frorn yey Carl, g added Bud ‘Barney an’ me aire close behind ye.” By then, Carl had reached the string of empty Chokes Grabbing the hand-rails on one of the cars, he mounted the iron ladder for a couple of rounds, stepped to the : bunter-block and, for a moment, stood there, : Here was the place where the man had vanished i to the string of cars; but where was he, now? He might be on top,of the string, or below, or on the other side” ‘While Carl stood hesitating, he heard the chough, chough-chough of a locomotive, a hiss of escaping steam and a low clatter of swiftly revolving drivers. O’Flar nagan also heard the sounds, and they struck terror fe. his heart. “Th’ thavin’ whelp is roonin’. aff wid th’ engyne!’ a yelled the fireman. The engine should not have been left alone on te track, with a full fire-box and steam up. Inasmuch as the engineer was at a short-order restaurant taking lunch, perhaps the fireman had not been justified in. giv- ing pursuit to the man who had attacked him. But human nature sometimes sets rules at defiance. As Carl jumped to the ground on the other side ot the string of empty box-cars, he saw the tail- light of the e gine flashing up the track. He thought, also, that he heard a hoarse cry for “Help!” wafted back from the fly- 22 Dlackguard! admonis hed ing cab. While Carl stood watching the bobbing light as it ceded farther and farther into the gloom, O’ Pogo: and Bud gained his side. “There goes me job!” muttered O’Flannagan. — be ditched f’r this as sure as ye’re a foot hoigh. The divil fly away wid sich luck, anyhow! Who'd hay thought thot handy-b’y would have doobled- back an’ g t’ th’ engyne? Th’ loco’s goin’ east, an’-——”__ O’Flannagan gave a forward jump, straightened ¢ rigi in his tracks and threw up his hands in a despairin: gesture, ‘“What’s ther matter with ye, Barney ?” dequnae. Bud. . “Matther enough!” groaned O’Flannagan. “Th’ ould switch- -bumper is sailin) straight fr th’ west-bound Howly mother! An’ it’s me as is accountable!” | co “You say ther west-bound accommodation is due here in half an hour?’ queried Bud, horror tugging at his iron nerves. _ Thot’s what [ m tellin’ ye, Bud! An’ thot auld pop- bottle av a switch-handler is dead ag’inst her! There’l be a smash-up, a lot av loives lost—an’ Barney O’Flan- nagan t’ blame! Och, wurra, but this is a sorry noigh worruk f’r me!’ \ : Bud had been staring around him through the gloor His eyes lighted on the dusky eae of a hand-car be- side the main track. . “Quick, you two!” he called. springing for the ce “We'll git this hyer keer on ther track an’ ay oe chasin’ ther engyne!” | “Paith, a turtle moight ; as well thry - g eth, a race- horse !” answered O’F lannagan. eo have t got station an’ tell th’ ager v wire a warnin’ e th next sta- tion east—thougk-th’ we aa have left th’ next tation by now——-” - ‘ ye 5 “Bear a hand!” yelled Bud authoritatively. “It’s our only chance to save the accommodation, Barney.” — “An’ Hivin knows it’s shlim enough,” returned Barney, jumping to bear a hand with the car. fonts 3 . CHAPTER IL WHAT WAS FOUND ON THE ENGINE. ttainly it looked like a hopeless chase, trying to over- ke a switch-engine with a hand-car. Bud and Carl, however, were animated with the rough rider spirit which nseled them to do their best in the face of the most discouraging circumstances. No battle is ever lost until side or the other is down and ont—and no man is ever down and out until the breath has left his body. _The hand-car was put onto the rails in short order, then all three jumped aboard and gripped the handle-bars. _ The tail-light of the engine had disappeared, by that time, ut Bud, Carl, and Q’Mlannagan fell to pumping. at the evers as though for dear life. along the main track. — “There’s no use at all, at all,” puffed O’F lannagan, his head rising and falling as he labored. “If th’ ould switch- bumper don’t land in th’ ditch, she’s bound t’ go into th’ -accommydation. Instid av hikin’ along loike this, th’ best thing f’r us t’ do would be t’ wake up th’ yard boss an’ have him git out th’ wreckin’-gang. Th’ blacklist fr mer somethin’ worse!) #” tL aes up, Barney!” said Bud. ‘“Where’s yer nerve, One. 5 6 os ae “Me nerve’s slid along th’ thrack wid th’ loco. It was * loco th’ blackguard wanted all th’ toime. He thought 1e’d lay me out wid a blow, an’ whin I didn’t dhrop, but ome back at him wid me feet, thin aff he wint, hopin’ t’ taw me afther him, loike he did. He had t’ go through shtock-pens in ordher t’ git to th’ engyne ag’in—him ‘not havin’ toime t’ go round th’ pens, d’ye moind.. It’s fool I am, b’ys, an’ it’s a dead open an’ shut I git it in VY neck fr what’s happened.” ae | . wait a leedie,” coutiseled Carl; “meppy nog 1 edought, ven der enchine pulled oudt mid dot ropper apoard, dot I heardt somepody in der cap let eff a yell for al 49:9. i They rattled out of the yard and skimmed eastward “ePaith, Carl, there. wasn’t a sowl on th’ loco. but th’ tobber, an’ how could he have let aff a yell? Sure he had every blissid thing his own way. Yer ears was de- cavin’ ye.” : --1 ithought I heard a. yell, too,” struck: in Bud. Mebby, Barney, the engineer came back while ye was asin’ ther robber, an’ thet thar was a fight when the robber jumped inter ther cab.” ce : “i'm thinkin’ ye’ve both got it wrong, f’r th’ driver hadn't been away foive minyits whin thet blackguard sprang over th’ pilot an’ made a lunge at me. Th’ driver aid he’d be gone fifteen minyits whin he left. More by oken, I'll bet a month’s pay tho e Carl, who was facing eastward, let off a shout. _ “Py shins, we’re gaining on der enchine, anyvay! See along der drack! Dere iss der light!” . : ‘It can’t be,” mumbled O’Flannagan. Nevertheless he turned his head. Both he and Bud saw winkling red. light in the distance. ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY. 4 i } R .. “Ther engyne is thar, on der light! dime!” - Pe & ‘This was certainly the fact. The red light gre _ brighter and brighter by such swift degrees that all three’ 2s un om “ ao a : fs eae sure as shootin’!” exclaimed Bud. “Nod only dot, Pud,” went on Carl,.“aber ve’re gaining __ ‘Ve're going gloser und gloser all der { knew it could not be the speed of the hand-car alone that | caused the light to grow as it was doing. “Thunder !” ‘shouted Bud suddenly, ystraightening. up and letting go the handle-bar, “thet engyne is comin’ toward us!” eee __ “Murtheration!” gasped O’Flannagan. “Whatever is” th’ crazy blackguard chasin’ back toward th’ yard fr?” / “Ged aff der hant-car anyvay!” cried Carl. “Dere’ll be some smash-oops in a minid, und ve don’d vant to be: mixed oop in a ding like dot.” Carl jumped as he shouted. Bud and O’Flannagan — also got off the car, but, in order to prevent wrecking the _ car, they heaved it off the rails. The switch-engine was — churning toward them at a pretty fair clip, although not nearly so fast as she had left the yard,.a little while be- fore, going the other way. be eyes on the approaching engine... y ‘ ‘Don’t be a fool, Barney !’’ counseled Bud. “Ve might I can jump “er!” declared O’Flannagan excitedly, his : jump ’er in daylight, but not at a time like this when ye - can’t even see the foot-board er ther hand-rail! Ye’d be knocked down an’ ground ter flinders under ther wheels.” “Keep avay, Parney!” screeched Carl, as the foolpardy — ‘fireman sprang between the rails. Bud started forward to jerk O’F lannagan off the track, but before he could come near enough he started back. It. was too late to restraig .O’Flannagan, and if?Bud had carried out his intention he might himself have ‘suffered 5” the fate he feared was in stote for the Irishman. The rear of the tender butted into the fireman. and Carl, watching fearfully, saw, O’Flannagan vanish into the shadows that lurked under the pencilled ray from _the tail-light. receding engine had not left his body on the tracks. “Talk erbout yer nerve, Carl!” exclaimed Bud, leaping to the track under the great unwinking eye of the head- light. “O’Flannagan is long on nerve or he’d never hev ye see any one in ther cab — tried a dodge o’ thet kind. Did when ther engyne went by ?” “T wasn’t lookin’ at der cab,” to see vat hat pecome oof Parney.” “Well, he’ll snake the engyne onter a siding in time ter miss ther accommydation, even ef he has ter put up a hot fight ter do it. now. - ae . \. “Den id can’t be dot Parney hat mooch oof a fighdt in 9 Jumpin’ sandhills! He’s stoppin’ 99 - der cab,” said Carl, as he and Bud. hurried back down the track. pe rs pea Ina few minutes they had gained the cab. O’Flanna- gan was hanging down from the gangway. “Climb in, b’ys,” said he. “Hustle a bit,’ he added, “so I can shunt th’ auld catamaran onto a siding ahead o’ . x the west-bound.” \ Ke The tough riders crawled \up into the cab. A man was. the floor of the cab; his body half on the coal — lying on yi the tender, * | “Did ye hev ter knock ther tin-horn over?” _ toward the railroad station. _ “Faith, Bud, th’ man lies loike Bud © He must have gained a foothold, for the said Carl, “but vas dryin’ er queried — _ Bud, as O’Flannagan sent the locémotive spinning back an I found him/whin I “ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY. | rh 4 ee Ee ‘om th’ coal mer engyne.”’ “Den who i tickens iss he?’ put in. Carl, kneeling : ie deep for their analysis. -lin’s pockets. heside the silent figure. © =; “He’s wan av th’ a men. By th’ same token, he : “must have been th’ feller thot let aff thot yell f’r help heard by you an’ Carl.” “Ther robber bowled. him over 2”. conjectured Aid, “Thot must have been th’ way av it.” . “Then whar’s ther robber ?” , : Th’ eel he reversed, he must have jumped from pode). - - “How did ther yard man git inter ther engyne ?”” won- dered Bud, deeply mystified. ~ “Ask me somethin’ aisy, me b’y. ” Bas “Prob’ ly he found ther engyne desarted on ther track ‘ an’ thort he’d take charge o’ her till some un showed ue _*“Thot’s th’ size av i a guess.” Ay ther man ‘thet showed up was ther robber, an’ ard man down. But why didn’t he : her engyte?” | 0 F lannagan shook his head. ms Ay “See dere, See! ‘spoke up Carl. * Bud leanéd over and followed Carl’s finger while it pointed to a clean-cut black and blue mark: that encir- _cled the yard man’s throat. Apart from a slight bruise on the yard man’s temple, this was the only evidence of _ violence which the body showed. “Blamed funny wound, thet!” muttered Bud. ; _ The next moment Bud laid a hand on the yard man’s ee “ i “His ticker has stopped,’ he we went on. you’rn, O’Flannagan, ’as do a stranglin’ job, ef I knows ther brand. But whyever ther murderin’ coyote killed a human bein’ when he could _ hev tossed him off’n ther engyne a hull lot easier’y goin’ ter all this trouble, is what gits me.’ By that time, the switch-engine was back in the yards. As she drove past the station, the wondering face of Bar- nett, the engineer, could be seen under the electric light over the platform. “Where the blazes you been with the loco, Barney ; af shouted Barnett. evo Throw the switch sO. we can git out av th’ way av th’ \ ase oO Flannagan “shouted back, slowing down, Already the rumble of the west- bourid passenger-train could be heard growing in the distance. The engineer tan forward ahead of the! tender. The first switch was _ unlocked, and he opened it, thtew himself back on the target, and the engine elided onto a siding. Barnett then closed the switch “ands ran to the cab. A moment later _he was up in the gangway, listening to the exciting story which the rough riders and O’ Flannagan had to tell. “Shanklin is done for, that’s sure,” commented Bar- : nett, kneeling beside the yard man. “If that scoundrel ‘who knocked you down, Barney, and then lured you away from the engine so he could run off with it, wanted to rob Shanklin, he picked out a Deon matk.” -“More’n likely he hadn't no idee 0’ robbin’ Shanklin,” spoke up Bud; “all nae tin-horn wanted was ter git ther. engyne.” es Si ankdin,” Saud | had a ae that out ae a f y ie self. “He ain’ t th’ same wan ve Ehek shtole ae supply of matches, and a pipe in another. It’s a quare. eae d’ye moind, an’ I’m only oT het rouper a e fer ther yard man. It was 43 Sitio but “He could have got ae engine, Bud, without killing “Then, again,” continued” to want the engine very bad, since he left it after it ‘had carried him a few miles up the track.” Le No one had anything to say. The mystery was too. Barnett began searching Shank- There was $1.30 in.silver in one pock and a greasy old memorandum-book, a bag of tobacco, Hitched to the bottom of a stispender- strap was a ring to which a short chain was fastened. The end of this. ‘chain should ha e been attached to Shanklin’s switch- Rey but it was not; the key was missing. — Oc “Just how it happened,” ahnewared: Barnett ale the weést-bound accommodation had rumbled away ito dark silence, “probably will never be known. Still, think it may be taken for granted that Shanklin, sadn the engine apparently deserted on the main track, as: sumed charge while waiting for the crew to return, While he was in the cab, this villain who made a set at Barney got aboard, knocked Shanklin down, stood away up the track, strangled Shanklin with a rope, and stole his switch- key. Having got clear of the town, the murderer stopped the engine, reversed the machinery, and dropped off. The “question is, why is that switch-key so important that th thief was, willing to commit murder to get it?” : ' OF course, that was a question no one could answer. Some days later, however, everybody knew that the key had been stolen in order that a daring raid upon Tea Strong’s cattle might be consummated. 2 CHAPTER IIL SING HI DROPS IN, While Bud and Carl were having a somewhat sthedutiade : time over at the stock-pens and up and down the track, Ted Strong, in his room in the Grand Central Hotel, was ‘likewise suffering from a mild attack of excitement. Téd went to bed about 9 o’clock, dog tired. The rough riders had had a trying two days’ drive getting the beef cattle from the Two-Bar Ranch to Paisley. Bud and Carl had gone on ahead of the cattle to make sure that the cars and pets would be in readiness for the Two-Bar shipment; and they, being fresh, were told off to watch the cattle difting the night. Kit, Ben, and Clay had repaired to the Gra Contra with Ted, and had gone to their tooms for a good night’s rest almost as soon as Ted had. No sooner had Ted dropped off to sleep than some one Dee pounding ont his door. “Hoop-a-la!” piped a shrill voice. “Clear out!” cried Ted, thinking some lodger in the hotel had come in drunk and had made a mistake in oe ing to find his room. “No cle’ out,” came back the shrill voice. “Makee stay lite here one piecee time. Hoop-a-la! Me wanna find Ted Stlong. You savvy Ted Stlong?” | “Tm Ted Strong,” answered the King of the Wild West, “but just_now I’m tired and sleepy and want to get a little rest. ‘Hit the slide, for now, and come around to- morrow morning if you want to see me.” ~ ee No hittee slide ; takee stay lite here. ee) Me 177, “Well, sing low and hile,” erowied Ted. “If you keep. up that t caterwauling r Ie come out ne in a naintity and ROUGH 1 RIDER / dtchet-boys? society will be minus a shining mem- r. Run along, now.” “No lun. Me neva’ lun. Gottee plenty sand, males rst chop cowboy. Wanna be lough lider. Hoop- -a-la! ‘ou makee me lough. lider? You tellee me—— Ted was on the point of getting out of bed when there vas a rush of feet along the hall, an angry howl, a wild iriek of “Timiny Klismus !” and-then the sound of soime- body tumbling down-stairs, heels over head. The King of he Wild West had just turned over, with a satisfied sigh, when heavy steps approached along ‘the hall. _“Sorry ye was disturbed, Ted,” said a husky voice. ‘Tm Bjlkins, the night clerk.’ That crazy Chink has been pesterin’ me for a week to be sure and let him know when ruck town. He’s got an idee that he’d make a ough rider, an’ the only way to persuade him to the con- © is to go after him with a bung-starter. But he won't bother ye no more to- -night. I’ve kicked his panta- up on top o’ his scalp lock an’ sent him pin-wheelin’ own-staits. ne out o’ his yaller carkis, an’—_—”” “Good night, Bilkins,” terrupt the flow of language. “Good night, Ted,” replied Bilkins, and tramped off along the hall, | ow long Ted slept, after that, he did not know. He was aroused by somebody tapping a tattoo of the win- dow. Wondering what the sound could be, Ted leaped out of bed and rushed to investigate. _ The first thing he saw was a ladder, leading upward from below and crossing the window. The next object to meet his inquiting eyes was a figure in baggy trous- s and wearing a blouse with wide sleeves. This figure as hanging to the ladder with one hand and tapping on the window with the other. Ted flung up the window. What in Sam Hill do you want?” he demanded. “No wantee Sam Hill,” replied the Chinaman urbanely ; wantee Ted Stlong.” “What do you want of Ted Strong?” “Wanna be lough lider; wanna Ted Stlong makee hina boy lough lider. Me bleakee blonco; lidee blonco _allee samee blue stleak. Velly fine cowboy. Me givee yell. _Hoop-a-la! How ie likee yell? Can do plenty getter, When you givee Just at that moment the ladder was jerked roughly away from the wall by some one on the ground below. ‘There followed a crash, a splash, and a gurgling ‘Whoosh ! !” Then came a husky laugh. ‘Are ye.up there, Ted Strong?’ ec the voice of Bilkins out of the dark. “Yes, I’m up here,” answered ros wearily, “There doesn’ t seem to be any sleep in this hotel for me to-night.” me Git: in between yer blankets—ye're all to the good from now on. at. Kicked ’im down- -stairs. a spell ago, an’ I jest now lropped “im inter the rain-water barrel. The rat-eater ‘more kinds of bughouse than I know how to tell about. sed to run a laundry i in town, but he sold it a couple eeks ago, an’. has been layin’ around ever ‘sirice, a fer jon to show up in ay He thinks: he’s > cut in Ted, and slammed. the “rf ot Chinainan others me again, to- Ted thought, “T’ll move over to the other hotel.” — ee : ‘Then, Ue the third time a see into slumber. Likewise, I warned him that if he come — er this here shebang agin to-night Td make a lead moved he limped. This here Chink has got more lives’n a git the limit fer this.” - fest. WEEKLY. a while hie Wag Ayalened bya itch that hele he build ing from foundation to roof. Ted roused up in the dark- ness, trying to guess whather an earthquake had happened | along, or whether some one had set off a few hundred pounds of dynamite under the Grand Central. “Hoop-a-la!” chirruped a voice., Les The voice came from within the room, and Ted rhreiw his feet over the edge of the bed and pulled a _ tevolver out from under his pillow. “Stlikee light, China boy no can see,” went on ‘Sing Hi calmly. ) “There's a table between the two windows,” "remarked Ted, in a tense tone, “and on that table-is a lamp a match- box. I’m not it the habit of running arotin doing stunts for a crack-brained yellow boy. Light i le lamp yourself, and then we’ll have a heart to heart talk.” “Can do,” was the cheerful response, and Sing Hi could be heard stoping his He to the table a stri a match, es Presently the Tamp’ ‘4yas lence “Sing H's. chi dlike : fo wore an amiable smile. His face was bruised, h __ baggy trousers and roomy kimono were torn, and one said Ted, in an attempt to in- wooden shoe was gone. More than that, he was so wet that he slopped dismally when he moved, and when he The glimmer of the light on Ted Strong’s revolver did not seem to phase him in the least. “Me havee plenty tough time, but mé findee Ted Stlong allee same,” he grinned. Es The Chinaman’s audacity dnd persistence claimed Ted’s admiration, but they should have been ao ina bet- ter cause. “How did you get in have? Ted demandea sternigen “Diopee thlough loof,” and Sing Hi directed his ¢ eyes toward the ceiling. eo There was a hole in the lath and plaster, and a litle . heap of debris lay on the worn carpet. le ‘Don’t you know better than to break a hole in the roof?” queried Ted. > “No bleakee hole in loof,” exclaimed the Cel estial. “Me findee tlap-do’ in loof, come thloo tlap, clawl ovel lath an’ plastel top-side loom, findee weak place and lop. : Stlikee flo’, make plenty bang. No makee difflunce. Me got fitty dol—plenty mon buy blonco,. saddle, laliat—go punchee ‘cow, be lough lider. You takee me by “Two- Baler? = © “T told you,” >? 4 said Ted sternly, “that I was tired and : wanted to sleep. You could have told me all this in the morhing.” “Wanna. be lough Tider,” persisted Sing Hi, wit tel ancholy insistence ; “no waitee day-come—wanna be lough lider light away. You makee China boy one piecee lough | lider now, an’-——” A hand rattled at the door. “Is that pesky yaller mug in there, Ted?” came the voice of Bilkins. Ted stepped to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open. Bilkins, catching sight of Sing Hi, jumped for him an : grabbed him by the queue as he attempted to dodge. “Busted in by the ceilin’, hey?” cried Bilkins, “Ye 1 “Don’t be too hard on him, Bilkins,” said Ted. “Take him off somewhere and tie him up so I can get a night’s Let him go in the morning and _ settle the dam- : ages. a SiNever see sich a. blame heathen in my ‘ie afore,” tuminated Bilkins. “T 'll tie him up in the woodshed fT oe a Peep out oO Pe aes this at’ day : ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY. ae the hull woodélied off n the face o’ the map with a charge 0 giant ‘powder. Chinks is mighty pecooliar. ‘They’re plum bronk, an’ ye don’t, ever know what they're goin’ to do, er when, er how they’ re goin’ to do it. I knowed a Chink oncet by the name o’ Wun Lung, though _ the boys all called him Charley, like most Chinks is called “out here in the——” — “Good night, Bilkins,” said Ted wearily. “If that Chink gets another shy at me before sun- “up, Vil strike a mx bee- line for the other hotel. x ~7- 111 4ake care o” him, an’ don’t ye forget it.” - With that, Bilkins went out of the room, leading Sinz Hi by the queue. Ted locked the door after. them, got ick into bed after blowing out the light, and mentally wondered if he was now free to take a little rest. He dozed off again, and again he was awakened— brought up sitting out of a sound sleep by some one pounding en the door. Ted groaned as he got out of bed. “Tf you don’t hike out of\this, Sitig Hi,” said he, “Pll pen up with a little cold lead. You’ re: the worst piece nf yellow aggravation I ever saw in my life.” “You've got your bean on the wrong. number, Ted,” ic answered ‘a voice that couldn’t be Bilkins’ and certainly wasn’t the Chinaman’s. _~ “Who are you?” queried the puzzled Ted. “Brezee, the sheriff. I want to see you right off on some pretty hot business.” _. This let Ted out so far.as any more sleep was con- : edt least, for a while. He lighted the lamp, slipped into his clothes, and then admitted Brezee into _ the room. a ee: \ CHAPTER TV, BAPTISTE, THE STRANGLER. - Brezee was a short, thick-set man, clad in a suit of hhand-me-downs that had seen much service. There wasn’t anything very pretty about Brezee, but he was a fighter of the old. school aud: ‘same at every turn of the wheel. _ His clothes were splashed with mud, and there was a baffled look on his, face as he pushed into the daranten Ted surveyed the official curiously. “You look as though you had been gine a time of it, _ Brezee,” said the King of the Wild West, pushing out a’ tocking-chair. “Sit down and make yourself eomfort- able.” _ The sheriff dropped into the chair. “We had a fellow in jail here by the name of Baptiste Lafond,” said he. * “1 heard about Baptiste,” observed Ted. Baptiste, the Strangler, isn’t he?” a. Uhat’s the chap. and a killer. He used to operate mostly on the border, stealing cattle in the United States, and driving them ~ across the line into Canada. He has at least three mur- ‘ders to his credit—Parkinson, of the Northwest mounted police; Briggs, a deputy sheriff, and Mahoney, a rancher. _ None of these three was shot in honest fight, but strangled with a piece of cord. That’s Baptiste’s way of killing. He'll go out of his way to strangle an enemy when he could shoot him, or knife him, with half the trouble.” “A cattle- raider, eh?” said Ted, with profound interest. Any man who aimed a Jawless blow at the legitimate ““He’s called cattle panne: came in io, a large share 2 Ted’s disiiice. d A tough Canuck, a cattle-raider - “That’s ayhat Baptiste j 1S. He’s plum crazy on the a ject of stealing cattle. He’ll take more chances in rust- ling than any man you ever heard of. It’sa sort of mania with him. Just take the case of Mahoney, for example. Baptiste tried to cut out a bunch of steers from right under the noses of Mahoney and his men. He gota good ways off with the cattle, Mahoney and his boys chasing. Mahoney got into the lead, the boys lost him for about three hours, and then, atter they had captured mere : they found ‘Mahoney under a tree, a black mark ine his throat, and the life strangled out of him.” we “That’s where they captured the Sianeli eh? Vea 3 pee “How many men had Baptiste with*him? ” - “No one knows, but he has enough.to pull off all his — lawless schemes. And they’re just as desperate as Bap- tiste is. Probably some of the scoundrels helped him to escape.” Ted jumped on hearing that. . Do you mean to say, Brezee, that the Strangler has got away?” he queried. “That's what I came here to tell my. “When did it happen?” “Some time after 8 o’clock in the evening and huione 10. Baptiste was safe in his cell in the jail here at eight o'clock, but at ten one of my deputies came running to. me with the announcement that there was a: hole in the jail wall and that Baptiste was not in his cell.” “What time is it now?” oS “About three in' the morning.” ec “You were a long time getting to me Nie the news, Brezee.” ‘ “T've been in the saddle with half a dozen men tryin y ie ; find the scoundrel myself, Ted,” returned the sheriff. “Where did you look? “To the north. Of course Baptiste would hustle for the boundary as fast as he could.” “T don’t know about that. Naturally, he’d ay to. a into the British possessions, but don’t you think he'd — imagine you'd be trying to find him to the northward? And don’t you think, too, that instead of taking for the boundary at once‘he would angle off to the southward — just to. throw you off the track: - “Jupiter!” muttered Brezee. tate Brezee ‘ran more to brawn than to brain, and Ted’s logical deduction took him aback. , “We'll let that go, for now,” went on Ted. Baptiste get clear of the jail?” “Sawed three bars out of his cell Hoon got into the corridor, and then dug oo the stone wall at the end — of the corridor.” “Where did he get his saw?” “Somebody sent him some ‘fruit a day or two ago, and we think now that the s anes some other implement must have been concealed te ay Ted smiled broadly. oe “You've a sharp deputy 1 in charge of the jail, Btezee?? “The deputy wasn’t to blame,’ pe owenee Bragee, : “T passed the fruit in myself.” © “Well, Brezee, what do you want me to do?” queried the King of the Wild West. “T want your advice—your help, if I can n get ity” “Y@u're a little late in coming to me for nelp: The chahces are that Baptiste has dodged you and your men and is well on his way to the Canadian line, by: now—so — “I never thought oes ny Oh NE ts yp : ‘How did - ROU H “RIDER WEEKLY. s lead that it “will be ihepadeibie te see him. less h ‘stops to do some lawless work on ‘the way, I’d you to lay back on your oars and wait for another mee to get back at him’ 3) oes 3 / rezee received the advice glumly. mos verybody in the county will be red- hoi over ie ‘he muttered. .“Mahoney’s son, and the boys a ahoney’s. ranch, will feel like scalping me > ‘You can’t be blamed because the jail was too weak to Id. Baptiste, can you: ms . people won't think of thal They'll tia about fruit business and I’ll be more sworn at than any man this neck of the woods. ve nel to. as the fel: ‘es, on account va killing. that Tnounved colitaman.* cooperate with the Canadian officials. Between pie you ought. to be a to lay the rascal. a », you take hold and help tis ee niked Brezee,’ affairs are keeping me pretty busy now, Biclce ’d be content to wait for a while, I might be able to nd a hand later. Just now, though, it’s your own fu- ral ntirely, and I haven't. time to aa in the ‘Ppro- got to do something right off, Ted.” I nderstand how you feel, old man. sE shall be in aisley for two or three days, and if I can help you any with advice while I’m here, call on me. Later on, if you vaven’t had any sttccess, e might take ee with you. ist at. the present time, however, a ‘ed paused, listening. Heavy feet were coming up ‘Stairs three at a time, and racing along the hall. Some one was in a hurry, and the man, whoever he was, was e one coming | here?” arias Brezee. ean wonder,” said Ted grimly. “Nearly every oO has come up-stairs sonar has made ied for : cant it and the doar flew ‘Open. Pad Morgan _ the room, : “Jumpin’ sandhills, a this is. luck ! te breathed Bud, dropping into a chair, s What ad of luck, Budi ?” asked Ted. bad?” ‘ “Good, by Gimier| Hyer’s you, agay up an’ dressed, an’ ‘hyer’s ther sher’f.~ ~ “What has gone wrong?” “A murder has been committed “Murder?” echoed the sheriff, “liding doit in his chair. “Whenever otie thing happens you can always look for two, or half a dozen. Everything in Paisley has _ been as quiet as a Quaker meeting i to soe, Never | rains but it pours; eh, Ted?” | nied nodded. “Who has been killed, Bud: " he inquired. “Shanklin, one of the railroad yard men.” Mi “Shot t 2? + “No. As nigh as I kin make out he was strangled. ¥ Brezee bounded out of his chair. “Black and blue line around his throat ?” he demanded. '“Thet’s ther way oO it,’ pe Bud. Brezee turned to Ted. Bay iste! Wes tg muttered. Gaba or “That oa inch, eee “Tt looks as ‘though you had a clue, Brezee, that’s a a fact,” said Ted. “Tellus about t, BUG. Bud gave them the whole story, -“An’ ter think,” Bud added, “thet ther riivdenin’ whelp done up Shanklin jest ter git his switch- key !” “Baptiste and that switch-key will be heard from later,” . remarked Ted. “Where did Baptiste leave the engine.” “Bout four miles east o’ Paisley.” “Fresh horses for you and your posse, Brezee,’ “said Ted, turning to the sheriff. “Try and pick up the ue at the point where the engine stopped.” “VE doit?” Thereupon Brezee rushed away, flushed with excite- Bud rejoined Carl at the stock. pens and Ted turned in again for three hours of uninter- . ment and fresh hope. rupted slumber. At that time, the King of the Wild West had not even a “hunch” that the rough riders were soon to be con- ee in the tracking down of ee Lafond. Yet s sO it was to fall out, yee CHAPTER V. LOST—FIVE CARS OF STEERS. Hiroe and his posse rode eastward. While they ¥ were i - endeavoring to pick up the trail of the villainous Canuck, the coroner had impaneled a jury to determine the cause _ of Shanklin’s death, and Ted and his er riders were busily loading steers at the stock-pens. Ted had intended to let Bud and Carl go sheoueh to Omaha with the trainload of cattle; but, inasmuch as. they would be wanted to give testimony before the coroner’ jury, Clay Whipple and Crowley, one of the foremen at the Two-Bar, were.selected to go through with the tat- tle. re / When the loading was finished, there were rent ee cars of cattle in the string—big cars with twenty-five steers in each one. ‘The train pulled out in the evening , with Clay and Crowley waving good-by to the rough riders from the rear of the way-car. . “Size up Omaha,” shouted Bud, looks when you get back!” 2 “Don’t buy any gold-bricks ! ee ond Kites ae : “Thee s tight, boys,” echoed Bud, with a guffaw ; “don’t “and tell us how. she let any 0” them smooth city crimps git away with any O° yer dinero.” “We've cut our eve-teeth, don’t forget that,” Clay laughed. “An’ the weight of our spurs ain’t hamperin’ us none,’ added Crowley. “Ef any tin- horn tries ter throw the hooks inter us, we’ll rope, down an’ tie him.” The tail-lights of the Extra East faded from dus along the track. Ted and his friends, tired out with thei day’s work, went back to the hotel. Clay and Crowley, a soon as the station lights at Paisley had vanished, wen into the way-car and stretched out on the long seats a the car’s sides. -A couple of hours later, Garret, the condlicior of the train, awakened the Two- Bar mien a 4) coe “Train busted in two,” announced Garret, as. Clay an Crowley started up on their seats and noticed a were at a standstill. - _ Something new for a train to. do, ain't it?” oeay. oF “ROUGH | RIDER WEEKLY. “Oh, i epee once in a while,” oe Grade for half an hour.” . “Whar’s the rest o’ the train?” inquired Crowley. - “It has been‘climbing the rise to Clearwater. and the three brakemen, as it happened, were all on our end, Two of ’em was in the caboose, an’ the third man was dozing on a brake-wheel two cars forward. We've got all the train crew with us, so there wasn’t any one on the front half of the train to tell the engineer what had gone wrong. But the other half of the train is coming back for us, now, and I want to get a new pin out of that locker, Clay. E fOr. wantin’ the pin, I wouldn’t have disturbed you boys.” Clay got up, Garret raised the cover of the seat and got the pin, and then went out and handed the pin to a brake- man. \“Hyer’s a ’ growled Crowley, listening to the croaking of eos and chirping of crickets at the track- side. “D’you b’leeve any in omens, Clay?” ee “Not me,” laughed Clay. “Omens don’t count when. - you're doing business for Ted Strong. yore Ss luck is a pretty safe thing to count on.” Crowley looked at his watch. We must hev busted down afore we was much more’n - an hour out Oo" Paisley,” said he, “Blame queer thing, seems ter me.” “Well,” philosophized Clay, “it s*up to the trainmen to get the two ends of the train together again, and we might just as well ick up our sleep where we left off. It’s: nothing to worry about.” _ “Right you are,” answered Clay, and the Two-Bar men stretched out on the hard seats and snored off into slumber, once more. / It was daylight when they woke up, and the train was again ata standstill. \ | “Wonder ef we're still at ther foot o’ the Hokomo _ Grade?” murmured Crowley, \rubbing his eyes as ne swung his feet over the edge of the seat. “We're on a siding in some town, Crowley,” ieee Clay, peering out of a window. “This is where we feed and water, I reckon. We'd better hike out ae be we ing after the steers.” The cars were patent affairs with iron Howat on both sides. Watering was easy enough, as it was only neces- sary to carry the end of a hose from car to car and play ‘a stream into the iron troughs. Hay was thrust in _ through openings in the car sides. : Ted Strong was very particular that his cattle should be well cared for en route. Clay and Crowley under- stood this, and the’ King of the Wild West’s humane or- ders would not suffer infraction at their hands. ‘While they were busy, Clay at one end of the train and a _ Crowley at the other, Clay suddenly dropped the forkful eof hay he was carrying and rushed back 8 where Crow- ley was at work. “Whooping Maria!” gasped Clay, a wild look on his face. \ _ “What's the matter with ye, Clay?” asked Crowley, _ staring at the rough rider. : “How many cars did we have ‘when we len Paisley ?”’ “Twenty-five.” “Well, we have only twenty now.’ oper i ee Crowley, i in Bre astonishment, : answered Garret. : i This end of the train has been standin’ at the foot 4 the. The en- gine crew, it seems, didn’t discover we'd been dropped, Git up a minit, will you? If it hadn't been stared ae “Count ° em for “yearseli 2 see on. C up the string twice, and twenty is all I can make’ ee Crowley ran off for a few yards where he. could se the entire train and began jabbing the air. with his as he counted.. He counted the cars. once, and his. was a study. Then he counted them again, and. came back, leaned against a telegraph | Ce and rubbed » i _ forehead dazedly... i _“Ye don’t reckon, do. ye, clay, that five keers was 8 pull d out afore we left Paisley?” he asked. 6 : “They couldn’t have been. What would: have. be th object in taking out five cars of cattle i in Paisley ?” hss “Ye kin search me, but the keers shore ain’t here, an’ [ was tryin’ ter figger out why. . Whar’s Garret? We'd better find him.” : The conductor was in the railroad station trying to get a cigar out of the agent by matching pennies... The nouncement. of the Two-Bar men filled Garret with con- sternation. Running Bae to the train he counted the cars for himself. - a . “Wouldn’t thet knock ye. slab-sided ?” trottered Ga ‘ret, running his fingers -perplexedly ay his long “hair. “The cars are gone, and that’s a fact. : “Where have they gone?” spoke up Clay. | “eT ats. what we want to know. If you didn’t set’ ‘em. out somie- where-——” ae : “Of course I didn’t set ‘em out, ‘Clay. This train runs solid to Omaha. I wonder _Garret pulled his hand out, OF his hair, dropped it Bud t thé Two-Bar men. ~ Coush it-up, Garret,’ suggested Crowley, ‘ ‘ef ye. got | any. idees on the subjeck, Clay an’ me's” responsible fer these critters, an’ a hundred an’ renee Oe Ted Strong’ Ss Steers is too many to lose.” “Sure it is,” -returned Garret. “We've been. horn- swoggled on the road, some’rs,; and the ony place I can think of is at Hokomo Grade.” ‘ bck ie “Flow could we have been hornswoggled there sisted Clay, desperately worried and anxious to prob the bottom of the mystery. — oe “I was thinking that some one might have pulled the pins on us while coming down the grade,” went on the (gees YY ou ‘know, it’s easy to pull the pins when can ars are bomped together an’ the engine Bhi! “Back, s. “Well, supposing the pins had been pulled 1 in front and 3 behind those five cars, how could they have been cut out, of the train?” oo “There’s a stiff down-grade from Hokomo, and righ at the foot of it there’s a stiff up-grade to Clearwanys pursued Garret reflectively. ee “Well?” queried Clay and Crowley together. ; “In order to take the up-grade to Clearwater, the en- gineer would Ahold the train back until half-way down the | Hokomo Grade, then open ’er up in order to get Lea . for climbing to Clearwater. Sabe?” 7 “¥ can sabe that, all right, alt ugh I know more shout 2 cattle than I do about railroads,’ said Clay. “Go on, Garret. What else?” | “Well, there’s a siding at the foot of the. Hokom : Grade. Suppose the pins were pulled at both ends of those five cars near the top of the grade. The five ¢ cars. : would be loose in the train, wouldnt tidy? 4 Soret Ls “Then, when the engines opened the throttle hate way down Ea grade, the front half ‘of the train prouid = cattle from the Two-Bar. ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY. ay eee t fie! cars, ae the fe cars might run enough to get a few yards ahead of. the rear oe of the train. See that?’ Ye’re makin’ it plain,” assented Conky” “Then, supposin’ some feller was at the switch at the s _ bottom of the grade, an’ suppose he let the front end of the train pass over the switch, then threw the switch SO as to cut out the five cars, and ‘threw it back again so that the rear end of the train would keep on along the main track after the front end. We came to a halt at the foot of the Grade not more’n a quarter of a mile beyond the witch, and there we waited until the front end of the train dropped back and coupled on. Bein’ dark, none of the brakemen noticed that the train was shorter than At was when we left Paisley—in fact, no one noticed it Pantil Clay found it out.” Clay groaned. “Then we’ve left one sundved and venty-five prime beef cattle back there on the siding at ie foot of Hokomo Grade,” said he, “a hundred an’ filty miles or more behind us!’” “That’s about the size of iy gareed Garret ‘providing I’ve figured the thing out right. It seems to me that is the only way the trick could have been turned. Some one, hough, must have had a switch-key, and whoever could have had that, and-——” ie & Crowley gave a yell and jumped into ‘tie air. “Say,” he whooped Soe turning to Clay, ‘ ‘what p about: Baptiste, the Strarfgler? What about the killin’ o’ poor Shanklin an’ the takin’ of his switch-key, back there in Paisley? Don’t ye think that onnery Canuck might have had somethin’ to do with this raid on- “Ved "| (s cattle ?”’ u’ve hit it!” cried Ce and turned carl ran back toward the railroad station. “Where you going?” Garret called iter: hit Ae To shoot a four-eleven alarm into Paisley for the King f the Wild West,” Clay shouted back, over oo shoulder, - gated © on | to the ace a | ¢° © CHARTER VI ao THE. | “POUR- -ELEVEN” ALARM REACHES PAISLEY. “What about the Chinaman that wanted to become a rough” rider, . Bilkins ?” laughed Ted Strong, leaning against the counter in the office of the Grand Central Potel. ; She: rough riders had had their supper, and Bud, Ben, arl, and Kit had dropped into a game of pinochle at a After a hard day’s As soon as. table over in one corner of the office. work they were seeking a little enjoyment. that trainload of prime cattle reached Omaha, the rough -tiders would begin pulling down some of their profits. _ Ted hardly expected to make any more shipments of -Since he had bought the - _ranch, and had run out the rough element on the Little _ Musselshell range, ranch values had about doubled in that part of the country. The rough riders could sell the Fwo- _ Bar at a handsome profit, and Ted was planning to do _ this soon and return to Moon Valley, in the Black Hills. - “Say,” grinned Bilkins, leaning over the counter, “ain’t : that yaller mug the limit? Think of havin’ a Chink fer a _pard! An’ what kind of a rough rider would. Sing Hi _ make, anyway? But he hangs on to the idee of j’inin’ up ae Js os a a ae toa ‘bone. Sold out his laundry ‘you've seen the last o’ him, too. here, an’ every day for a week he’s heer prancin’ ‘up an down the street on a rat-tailed Methusaler of a hoss, tryin’ ter rope hitchin’ posts an’ dry goods boxes, an’ things. That yaller boy is plum crazy, an’ no mistake.” se Ted laughed. “Between Sing Hi and the sheriff I 1 didn’ t get much sleep last night, so I’ll have to make up for it to-night. Did you tie up the Chink?” . See that was the only way to keep him from breakin’ te in on ye ag’in. He got loose, though.” ee Mrde did?” ee “That’s what he done. When I went out to the wood- shed this mornin’, the pig-tailed monkey had gnawed a good riata in two for me and had vamoosed.” ae “Funny he didn’t hang around and make another try. to join the rough riders.” ~“Can’t understand that part of it, Ted; : sure can’t. C Sing Hi hasn’t been seen in town to-day. Feller dropped _ in here about noon an’ said he seen the Chink amblin’ out o’ town on his old bronk. He had a sawed-off shotgun, a blue silk bag full of rations, and a riata. He was kickin’ oe the ronk in the sides Sich his wooden sandals an’ was a tearin’ along, this feller says, at the rate 0’ three miles an hour. Reckon the town has seen the last o’ him—an’ Ye're in luck, Ped" Ted laughed again at Bilkins’ remarks, : “T’m expecting Stella: F osdick, my girl pard, to des in here any minute, Bilkins,” said he. ‘‘Mahoney’s daugh- ( ter, Prue, is a friend of hers, and Stella went over, Tight — after word came that Mahoney had been killed, to stay a _ while at the ranch. She was to have returned Chae sev-- eral days ago, but I suppose she didn’t want to leave 4 1 ete while Mahoney’s folks were feeling so cut up. word at the ranch for Stella to come along here as soon as she got back. If she comes to-night, give her the best - room in the house and tell her I'll see her in the morn-_ ings: \ a “You bet I will, Ted; nothin’ in this here chang is. - too good for thet plucky gal pard o’ your’n,’ Thereupon Ted bid his pards good night and went up ~ to bed. A square of canvas had been tacked over the hole in the ceiling of his room, and the King of the “Wild West turned in with a comfortable feeling that Sing Hi would not be around to interfere with his slumbers. Ted did not get' to sleep at once, for he was thinking of Brezee, and wondering what sort of luck he was hav- _ ing in trailing Baptiste Lafond. Finally he dozed off, and — the mysterious “hunch,” which usually apprized him of | ‘things he ought to know, was still out of working order. The King of the Wild ‘West did not even, dream that things were going wrong with his trainload of live stock. — He awoke at sunrise, got up, and proceeded to dress _ and get ready for breakfast. While he was leisurely. making his toilet, the door opened and Brezee came in. “Hello, Brezee!” called Ted cheerily. What luck? Did you ‘spot Lafond’s trail ?” Brezee shook his head. | B “Couldn’t find any sign of a ‘trail, Ted, ” he answered, ae “but I spotted something else that deepens the mystery.” Ted whirled around and gave the sheriff his entire at- tention, cS oat “What was that! »” he asked. a “On a switch, at the foot of Hokomo Grade, I found five empty cattle- -cars. “Nothing out of the ordinary in that, is he : Cattle- cars are usually shunted out on a switch until they’ re — f ay ici! is going to make a walt | patentee ce “No rancher makes a base of that switch. There j isn P a house within three miles of the siding. The switch was put in there a long time ago to accommodate some miners who wanted to ship ore. But the miné these miners worked played out a long time ago. . ~ eattle-cars doing on an ore- -siding, anyway?” “The siding was there, and the railroad people wanted 4 to use it, I eHPD ae: ’ returned Ted, proceeding with his dressing. Cattle were ciloaded from the cars, Ted,” went on = Brezee, and once more secured Ted’s entire attention. “Cattle were unloaded!” he exclaimed. nds there any way to unload cattle at the place?” 1 _ “We saw some planks at the siding, and some short pieces of four-by-fours that were used to build a staging.” “How old were the tracks?” - ®Looked as though they had been freshly made _ “That’s mighty curious!” muttered Ted. > “W te yout ask the agent here to wire the superintendent and learn why those cars were set out at the foot of the -Hokomo Grade?” - Thats ‘what I did.” “Has the agent had an answer to his message?” | “The answer from the superintendent came only a few minutes ago. The super says that I’m away off my trail, and that no cats of any kind have been set out on the old ‘siding.” : “And yet you.are sure the cars are there?” ~.“Well, Ted, I saw the five cars with my own eyes. Not only that, but I took the numbers of them. it the agent is to be believed, those cars—— - Brezee halted, as though overcome with the brain- racking mystery. / ' “Well?” queried Ted impatiently, ; _ “Those five, cars, according to the Paisley agent,” sued Brezee, “went out last night in your stock-train. “Great Scott!” exclaimed “Hed. Brezee. There is a big mistake somewhere.” “Looks like it, don’t it? And yet, I’ll swear the ive “empty. cars are on that siding, and that five loads of cat- tle were taken out of them and driven up into the hills.” “We'll look into this thing right now,” declared Ted. - Grabbing his hat, he made for the door, followed by Brezee, ‘Hardly had the two gained the hall when Bud ue running toward Hie with a yellow a ee in his an _“Hyer’s a telegraft fer ye, Ted, ” cried a an’! it’s marked ‘rush.’ Ther operator says it’s aes SO i hiked right up- stairs with it.” Ted grabbed the message, backed into his room, and tore it open. As he read, his face went blank, then filled with wonder and amazement. “Well, great Czsar’s ghost !” mumbled Led, “Somethin’ got twisted some’rs, Ted?” queried Bud anxiously. \ _ “T should say so, Bud!” Ted answered. { “T'1l slide out,” spoke up Brezeée, thinking the bo -ygine and train crew. might be a private affair between the rough riders. “I'll wait in the office until you come down, Ted, and then we'll decide what’s to be done about those five cars.” ~ told up, Brezee, ” Ted called before the sheriff could eet out of the room; “this message is from my pard, Clay : es one the boys who went with ve cattle, it What the blazes are” Baptiste. Lafond.” a i “Why, it can't -be, “Ts it a clue: oP ques ‘Bronte: “You might call it that. It’s’a ee message, ad Olay. says the cattle-train was cut in two, or maybe in three parts, on the Hokomo Grade, and that this morning, the train reached ee oe cars of ee re found to be missing.’ : ee “By glory!” cried Bad, : oe “Your cattle, Ted!” exclaimed Bree “Just as I had already figured it out. Does Whipple say anything else ?” -. “Nothing but what we know already. He says that Garret, the conductor, thinks some one pulled the pins ahead of and behind the five cars and that some miscreé who had a switch-key must have made a flying swit with those five cars on the down- grade. Clay suggests; further, that the man with the switch-key: may have b n Bud went up into the air. i ee “Thet’s ther whelp as done it!” he itied: “Ther a- nuck cattle-raider had madea set at our Two-Bar cattle © —thet’s what he’s done. ‘What's ther word, Ted? Aire we ter saddle up an’ Sat fer, ther Lao whar this hy esos -sidin’ is??? ’“Go for the Aopsbee Bud, aed tell ae fest of the ee get their breakfasts. I’ve’ gotto. go over to. Ane teleg ph Wh office and send a message to Clay. All three of them rushed out of the room. Bud ‘hal d long enough in the office to give the rest of the rough riders an inkling into the affair, and then made for the town corral, while Brezee ‘accompanied Ted to the rail road a: ae ‘ eae VIL. FOLLOWING THE TRAIL. - _ Ted Sent a reassuring message to Clay and Cromer. telling them to proceed without delay to Omaha with their twenty cars of cattle, and likewise stating that the roug riders would at once take the trail of the missing ¢ ttl and ‘endeavor to recover them and recapture Baptis Lafond. ee While Ted was wulue out his own message, on came from the superintendent to the station-agent to facilitate the work of the rough riders and the sheriff in every way possible. Ted asked the’ ‘agent to wi request for a box-car and a switch-engine to take the p suers to the old siding where the trail was to be picked u Brezee, although he had been in the saddle for tw days, with only brief periods of rest, declared that he’ going to accompany the rough riders with at least th of his men. The sheriff went for fresh horses, while Ted was at the Grand Central eating his breakfast. The rough riders were all angry and indignant over the factithat Lafond had struck an audacious and temporarily successful blow at the Two-Bar cattle. It galled them to think that a Canuck should break jail on this side the border, commit murder to get a switch-key, and then raid a trainload of cattle and steal five cars of them right out from under the noses of Clay and Crowley, and the, e Ben, Carl, and Kit were out in ont of the hotel wait- ing for Bud when he showed up with the mounts. Bu got into the dining-room for his own breakfast almost as soon as Ted reached the table. — “We'll put ther kibosh on | ther whelp| re growled. v ROUGH RIDER. | WEEKLY. 4 as Esl ibaded as a ial oon thet feller, s shore shy a few in his head-piece er he’d never ter pal off sich a deal with rough rider cattle.” _“He’s a clever scoundrel, Bud,” returned Ted, “and he shows his daring and resourcefulness in nothing so much as in this play he has just made. It almost looks as though he had timed his escape in such a way as to effect it long enough before our shipment of cattle was made in order that he might be able to get the switch-key and communicate with some of his men.” _How many men d’ye reckon he’s got?” “It’s hard telling. He has quite a gang when they’re t all together, I understand, but quite probably not all of em are with him now. It must have taken at least three steal those five cars out, of the train. Two of them must have been on the train and between the cars, ready to pul! the pins, at the time the shipment left here, and { _ one or two must have been at the switch leading to the old siding.” “Why didn’t ther varmint take more’n five keers?” a pied Bud. “Thet’s what I kain’t understand.” “Tf he took no more than five,” explained Ted, “there “was a chance that the theft wouldn’t be noticed when the two ends of the train were brought toge other 3 in the night. Then, again, more than five cars, might not ‘have been ble to take the switch ahead of the rear end of the'train, which was following them closely, and which would have slide on along the main track. 2 | Ye’re gittin’ too all-fired deep fer me now, pard,” said ud, juggling rapidly with his knife and fork. “As ther thing stands, this hyer Strangler has got five keers 0’ _ Two-Bar cattle, which we fixes, ter git back along with ther Strangler. know. It glooms me up a heap ter think ther Frenchy stole a march on us, like he done, but I reckon we kin saw ther thing off purty nigh squar’ afore we’re done with é ‘it. 9 _ When Ted and Bud fished their hurried meal and -went out in front of the hotel, they found Brezee and Thet’s all ther rank and file needs ter® \ \ ak -key, I suppose.” Ahe fruit. “O’Flannagan ee a My idea exactly,” said ‘Ted, “T believe he does?” “I think, then, that the Strangler attacked Q’ Flannagan in the ‘hope of getting his switch-key. Failing in that, and finding himself pursued, [Lafond got back to the switch-engine, and found that luck was with him in the person of Shanklin. get him clear of the town. He must have had ing for him somewhere, and there is no doubt but that the men had horses. “And another thing: Lafond had a foros when he ran through the railroad yard. Probably ek ae came to him in that basket of fruit.” 4 A sheepish look crossed Brezee’s face at ‘mention of & ; SN ae NAGE st i SATS & AG ‘ “Probably,” he answered. The twenty miles to the siding were. ieavered 3 in half a an hour. The.spur-track ran off into the hills on a slightly rising grade for a hundred feet, then struck. a level-and - lost itself behind an uplift. three deputies waiting with ‘their horses, ready for an- , other try at the slippery cattle-raider. “The railroad’s helpin’ us, Ted,’ reported Brezee. _ “The super has sent orders for a box- -car, a flat-car, and _ a switch-engine fo give us a lift, running special with | right of way over everything between here and the switch at the bottom of Hokomo Grade. The special is backed - up at the cattle-pens now, so’st we can load our bronks.” — “Good enough!” exclaimed Ted. “It’s about twenty _ miles to the siding, and this lift the railroad is giving us _will save us a good deal of valuable time. Mount, boys, and we'll make for the stock-pens.” There were nine men in the party of’ ‘pursuers—more ‘than the King of the Wild West thought was necessary \in case of a fight, but none too®many if it became neces- “sary to divide up in following the trail of the raiders. _ The nine horses were loaded into the box-car through ‘the chutes. Two of the deputies and two of the rough riders went into the box-car with the animals while the _ rest of the party took their places on the “flat.” - “ATl ready !” called Ted, waving his hand at the engi- meer, and away the ‘ ‘special” started, bumping along at a terrific pace. oe “Lafond must have had this job up his sleeve for some 3 re ’ observed Brezee, as they went along on their rough ‘Tide, — While the rough riders and the denutes were jumping — the horses out of the box-car, ee and Brezee looked OVEL 3 the ground. “This is a great place for ‘iubilee a trick ike ha! of Lafond’s,” said Ted, after his first comprehensive view — of the lay of the land. “The five cars acquired a good deal of momentum in coming down the grade, and when they struck the rise of thé spur-track their momentum was lessened so that they came to a halt on the level stretch behind the hill. The only strange thing about the per- formance’ is that none of the trainmen caught onto the theft.” “Lafond.must have a quick eye and plenty of strength — to have thrown that switch for the five cars and then back | again for the rear part of the train,’ commented Brezee. “He’s a clever scoundrel in more ways than. one,’ turned Ted. see re-" Lafond used the engine merely to ; ae \5 The two thereupon tramped along the weed-grown. 2 spur until they came to where the five cars Had halted behind the hill. A post and bumper at the end of the spur had halted the head car of the five, apparently with- out the least damage to it. ‘The doors of the cars were open, and “Brezee pointed out the lumber that had ne used to build a staging for unloading the steers. ‘The siding was on the south side of the main line, and the soft earth at the foot of the hill held the impress of cattle-hoofs, huddled together and then leading off to the — south and west in a well- defined trail. “This is another queer thing,” spoke Ted reflectively. “If Lafond is bound for the other side of theborder, why is he driving the stolen cattle southwest? If he. drives very far in that direction he will strike the Two-Bar.” “Tt’s hard to understand that rascal,” muttered Brezee “He doesn’t act like any criminal I ever met up with be- fore.” At this point the rest of the men came up aii t horses, Bud and one of the deputies leading Ted’s mount “and Drézee’ S. “Here’s where we take the trail, boys,” said Ted long as it is as plain as it is now, we shall have easy work, but if Lafond is the sort of fellow his previous reece leads us to believe, he’ll not leave us a clear Hae Ae long.” " The special had orders to take back the five cars on the ae While the special was pushing out on the HAs. ay | penchance. ‘42 2 4 - : spur to couple onto the cars, Ted and his party struck off on the cattle trail at a brisk gallop. Watching the hoof-marks as they went, each one of the riders tried to pick out the imprints of horse’s hoofs and so arrive at some idea as to the number of men con- cerned in the raid. | Some of the men thought there were four raiders, oth- ers said five, and Ted himself was of the. opinion that there wete six or seven, perhaps more. Considering the confused nature of the tracks, the number of men fol- lowing the stolen cattle was a difficult problem to solve. “One thing I’m glad of, anyhow,” remarked Brezee, as he and Ted galloped along in the lead. ‘AWhat’s that, Brezee?” asked Ted. “Why, the stealing of your cattle gives us a joitit inter: est in the capture of Lafond.” “You're wrong there, in a way. I hold a receipt from the railroad company for the shipment, and if five cars are lost en route the railroad company has to make it good. I have jumped into this thing because I hate a rustler as I hate a rattlesnake. I have put in a good deal of time, while on the Little Musselshell, in driving lawless cattle- men out of busitiess.”’ “And I must say you have had astonishing success!’ exclaimed Brezee, his voice vibrant with admiration. “That's one reason why I’m glad the rough riders are hooked up with me in, this case. Whenever you set out to do a thing, Ted, it’s about as good as accomplished.” “There are usually a good many hard knocks between setting out to do a thing, Brezee, and finally accomplish- ing it,’ Ted answered. For an hour or more the trail led plainly along the bot- o ae tom of a narrow valley. At one point the valley was crossed by a road running between Hokomo and Hap- The trail of the, cattle led onward across the road, but Ted, pulling his horse back sharply, leaped from the saddle and picked up something that lay in the trail, a little way south of where the road crossed.. The object proved to be a quirt of buckskin thongs, the handle formed ef the braided strands. The loop was a bit of red silk cord with a scarlet tassel. All the riders gathered around Ted as he stood looking at the quirt. Pe : “What's thet ye found, pard?” asked Budf “More mystery,’ answered Ted, looking up with a grave face. “Who does that belong to, Bud?’ and Ted tossed the quirt to Bud as he put the question. Bud gripped the quirt with convulsive fingers, and stared as though he could hardly believe his eyes. Every -one of the rough riders knew that quirt as well as he knew his own. . “Stella’s!” exclaimed Bud. “In ther name o’ all thet’s crisscross, locoed, an’ bughouse, how did thet thing git VOY The ‘rough riders stared at each other in consterna- tion. Had Stella, in coming home from Mahoney’s ranch, : | fallen into the hands of the Canadian cattle-raiders ? CHAPTER, Vii: ANOTHER SURPRISE. “Stand back, fellows,” said Ted, “and don’t tramp up the trail.” As he spoke, the King of the Wild West gave his ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY. bridle-reins to Bud and walked along the jumble of marks left by the steers. a “As near as 1 can make out,’ went on Ted, was with the raiders from this point on.” | “Vas she mit der raiters,’ asked Carl, “or dit she schust foller along afder der cattle vent dis vay?” “She was with them, Carl,” returned Ted, with convic- tion. “Some of the prints made by the hoofs of the raider’s horses overlay those left by Stella’s mount.” Ted waited until Bud brought up his horse and then leaped to the animal’s. back. “Spurs and quirts,” said Ted sententiously. “We'll get the hang of all this before we’re many hours older. I’m with you now, Brezee,” Ted added a moment later when © he and the sheriff were pounding along in the lead, “with — you, heart and soul. It isn’t the cattle that lures me on, but the face of my girl pard.” ( _ “How did she come to be in this part of the coifntry ?” asked Brezee. oe ~~ “She went over to Mahoney’s ranch, shortly after Ma- honey was killed, in order to be with Prue, whois a friend of hers. Stella has a tender heart, and she’ could not think of Prue Mahoney, in her hour of affliction, without wanting to be with her. We expected Stella back at the home raneh several days ago, but thought she was pro- longing her stay at Mahoney’s because Prue wished it. - “The road from Hokomo to Happenchance is one of — the trails Stella might have used in riding from Ma- | honey’s to the home ranch. She may have started, reached the place where the cattle were being driven along _ the valley, and recognized the Two-Bar brand. Then, if she asked Lafond any questions, the rascal would be quite apt to take her along with him and his gang in order to keep her from spreading the news of his villainous work, That is the only way I can account for finding that quirt where we did.” eae The valley continued to stretch away in a general southwesterly direction. But its character gradually changed ; the soft earth gave way to sand and gravel, and’ then to stone, the slopes on either sides being bastioned with huge boulders. As the character of the soil changed, the marks left by the cattle and the raiders became less and less distinct, — until the trail became almost blind when the rocks were reached. . Nevertheless the trained frontiersmen were able to fol- low. Their skilled eyes caught the slightest mark in the bottom of the rough. valley. a Two hours brought the pursuers to a point where the. valley forked, one: branch turning south while the other continued southwest. The V-shaped point of land be- tween the forks arose with steep, barren slopes to a height of fifty feet, where the crest was covered. with a growth of stunted trees and underbrush. ms Here a bewildering fact disclosed itself, and caused the pursuers to hesitate. The cattle-tracks followed both forks of the valley! , “What’s the meaning of that, do you think, Ted?” in- quired’ Brezee, in a puzzled tone. “The raiders have divided up the stolen herd,” an- swered Ted; “that much seems certain. Part of the cat-. tle went south and the rest southwest.” “The question with me is,” went on the sheriff, “which way did Lafond go?” “And the question with me,’ added Ted, “Ts along which trail was my girl pard taken?” “Stella, , “Tes. as ee as it is aa Ve reckon,” abe jp Bud. “Ther cattle went both ways, Ted, an’ ther cattle oe tex ther Two-Bar.”. _ “We'll have to cover both trails,” “We'll have to get Stella,” and the cattle.” “Dot means,” ain’d ye While the pursuers were at a standstill considering the matter, a shrill yell rent the air from the hill-crest. horses. became startled and pricked up their ears at the unexpected sound, and every rider dropped an astonished exclamation as his eyes lifted to the crest of the V-shaped — hill and scanned the stunted trees and the undergrowth. “What was dot?” muttered Carl., _ “Looket thar!” cried Bud, lifting a - forefinger and pointing toward the brush that topped the hill. _A barrel had emerged into view, and was rolling down the steep hillside. Faster and faster it cage, now leaping said Ben, put in Kit, “and Lafond, said Carl, “dot ve’ll haf to shplit oop, high into the air as it struck a rock, and now rolling over and over with tremendous rapidity on the down-grade. “Get your horses out of the way!” cried Ted, using — his spurs as he gave the shout. _ The horsemen began to scramble out of the way of the \down-rushing barrel which seem to head directly toward © th fs Bees. suddenly, crack! crack! crack! came a splutter- ; _ ing volley of shots from the screen of the undergrowth. _. For the most part the bullets seemed directed at the B moving barrel, and one or two of them “plunked” into it. _ Others of the leaden missiles, however, whistled about the horsemen. ; “Make for the hilltop!” yelled Ted, rising in his stir- — tups. “Some of the raiders must be up there. Dismount, and you, Carl, remain here to take care of the horses. It’s impossible to ‘get the mounts up the hill.” _ With whoop and yell the riders slipped clear of their saddles. The barrel, for a moment, was entirely forgot- ten. As Cari gathered in the bridle-reins of the aban- doned horses, and Ted, who was somewhat in the rear of the rest, started at a run for the slope, the barrel reached the foot of the hill, tore. across the valley, and brought up with a jolt against a sand-dune. Ted started on past it, then ee as a shrill voice » Teached his ears. _ “Hoop-a-la !” | Ted was so amazed he hardly dared credit his senses. Pe &. glanced up the slope. The firing had ceased on the hill-crest, and rough riders and deputies were scrambling toward the fringe of undergrowth unmolested. x ‘Changing his course, the King of the Wild West. Shed over to the bar rel, reaching it just as a demoral- _ ized Chinaman kicked himself clear at the open end. The “in ballel. The. eled: across oh battered ieee as on recognized the ‘King of the Wild West. » 7 “China boy plenty fine,” he chattered : \illdes down hill Jiminy Klismus! Makee stals, makee’ moons, makee comets—see allee same, likee night. | “Whoosh! Wanna be lough lider. Can do velly fine on hlor ee _Lide allee same blue stleak.” “What were you doing up there on the hilltop, Sing asked Ted sternly. a “Me makee bleak, gettee ‘way. You see me makae. bleak in ballel? Come down hill chop-chop, Heap bad Flenchie man glab Sing Hi, takee blonk, takee! gun, takee glub-bag, takee liata, takee evellthing. No savvy what — can do. Tell Flenchie man me cookee fol gang, washee- washee allee same. Flenchie man givee orle piecee laugh, haw, haw, haw. You savvy laugh that manner fashion? Him savvy China boy, but no b’leeve. ° . / ‘“Sendee China boy back; one, two, tlee F lence. ‘mans ic blingee China boy on hill, ‘Ballel on hill, allee same lef’ — by minel who no usee ally mo’. Me see ballel, ae fine ballel. Lis’en what Flenchie mans say. “Ted Stlong comee ‘long, say Elenchie mans ;' dlivee’ cattle one way, dlivee cattle oddel way. ‘red k /Stlong him splittee up crowd, some follow -one piecee x ‘cattle, some follow oddel piecee cattle. We sendee one — clowd top-side, then sendee oddel Ct top- -side. Plenty a bad Flenchie mans! ra “Me jumpee into ballel, loll down nities” “Me tellee Ted Stlong what Flenchie mans do,.me think Ted Stlong makee Sing Hi lough lider. Huh? How you likee Sing _ Hi fol lough lider? Plenty brave China Boy Finee allee same likee silk.” ~ = a our pidgin i is trimmed off pret fatse on the cor- — ners, Sing,” said Ted, “‘so let me see if I’ve got your yatn | correctly. Why did you come out into the hills in the first place?” “Makee find Ba’tist Lafond. Thinkee me ‘makee find Lafond, Ted Stlong makee me lough lider.” : “You rode out into the hills to find Lafond ; then, be fore you knew what had happened, Lafond found. you, — took away your horse, gun, lariat, and igrub- mer and made you a prisoner. Is that right: PA 2 “Bettee bottom dollol! That allee light. 2 La “When you found out you had been captured, you a tried to join neOnG s gang to do the cooking and weal . ing! —? : 4 te A crafty ante crept over Sing Hi’s face. : “Me tly makee fool Lafond. You savvy ?” Yes, If savvy. Lafond didn’t believe you? He hadn’ t any confidence i in your good faith.” “No havee con-on-dunce. Makee mans wateth Sing see what he do.” . “Lafond sent you back with some more men to that hinaman was Sing Hi, there was no possible doubt about “hilltop to watch and see if he was followed?” Sing st that, but Sing Hi was ripped, and torn, and banged, and tuised until he looked as ough he had been juggled . bout in a cyclone. There was only one sleeve of his kimono left upon his person, the rest of the silken blouse hanging in tatters _ from some projection inside the barrel. One leg of his ; baggy trousers was gone at the knee. A sandal remained on one foot and he was mete the other: vee % in his hand. »@ As he sat up lpaineaile and leaned his back fe the sand- heap, his troubled eyes took in the barrel and then Ww wandered t6 Ted. o childlike and ees smile Tip- ducked his head. “And the cattle were divided so that the pursuing party would split into two parties and La- fond could ambush one and wipe it out and then turn to” the other?” Another duck of the head from Sing Pay “And that old barrel was left by a mine up on the hilltop, and you jumped into it and started it down ‘hill Just to warn me?” \ “Me velly blave China boy,” ane Sing Hi gravel “Me tly makee one piecee hit with Ted Stlong.” : “You'll make a hit with me, all right enough, we Bnd you have told the truth,” said Ted. “Where is Lafond?” “Two piecee cattle come foechel on Pale Musselshell. | vse Ted” Stlong’s woman len’? ; tlavel hy Ba’tist.” ROUGH RIDER ‘ WEEKLY, e Witond ‘waitee “tongside Hienchie mans on hill cally news how you come.’ “Was there a woman with Lafond ?” She ‘longside. Makee “She is a prisoner?” ‘Alee same plis’nel. ‘woman flen’——” _ Just ‘at that moment a sound of brisk firing carried - Ted up the steep hillside. Evidently the pursuing party ’ _had chased Lafond’s scouting detachment quite a dis- tance along the top of the hill: The firing continued sharp, and” was punctuated with an occasional yell of pain. Pushing onward at top speed through the underbrush, Ted was sgon‘in the thick of the scrimmage. ee Lafond no hurtee Ted Stlong’s ‘CHAPTER IX. LAFOND’ Ss CUNNING. The men wht: Lafond’ had sent back to watch ae fork | in’ the trails must have been reinforced, for certainly » no two or three men could have done so finch firing or * - ot have held their ground’so long against superior numbers. About the time Ted reached the scene of the clash, the had begun to give way. They. had horses and, of course, could Sy get clear of their mounted enemies. One of the Ganadiins, was left ptone on the ground _ where: the battle. had occurred. Hexwas a surly-looking f - half-breed and wore tattered, mackinaws. A bullet had cut short his lawless career, snuffing out his evil life i in a twinkling. Bud caught the déad cattle-thief’s horse and would have continued the chase after Lafond’s men pe not Ted : _ stopped him, ' \ he these men were both members of the sheriff’s posse. “We'll go back,” said he, ‘ ‘and. get our farce T know where Lafond has pitched his ‘camp, and if we have any kind of luck it won't be long before we overnan the leader and the rest of the gang.” The pursuers had two wounded men. .As it happened, one of the rough riders had got in the way of a bullet. As usual, they seemed to bear a charm that warded off | the flying missiles, One of the deputies was Wonniied only slightly, while a ‘the-other had a bullet in the side that promised’ serious ~ to the place where the horses had been left. » Tanck. It was necessary to assist this man back complications. The Pipebowl Ranch, as Brezee figured the distance, was about five miles from: the fork in the valley, and Ted ‘suggested that the three deputies be sent off to the Pipe- bowl, so that the worst wounded of the two who had been hurt could secure medical attention. The deputy, ~ who was ‘slightly wounded, and the other who was un- injured, could, no doubt, get their comrade safely to the - Brezee Uhoneht this plan a good one. Ted had at first . suigvested that the sheriff go with his deputies, but with a prospect of warm times ahead the sheriff could not be persuaded to leave. _ There was no time to spare i the rough riders and the ° sheriff. followed up their quarry closely, so the three depu- _ ties were packed off to the porvans, as sucky. as pos- ‘sible. — saddle. 4 jack- knife. Not. but nevertheless the respect of all hands—sa This left seven in the bay of pursuers, x ae : “was counted. The horse Bud had captured gave the Chinaman a mount, and he was as proud as a squaw with a string of elass beads when he climbed into the An instant later, when the ill-tempered bronk hoisted himself amidships and began to “‘kick a plunging,” Sing Hi did not look so proud. He went into the air, all sprawled out like a new kind of crab, hit the hard ground with the top of his head, ae doubled up nes a Os _ The Chink we seh a sort ’S —oee he Everybody laughed, looking figure anyway that, to use Kit would “have made a dog laugh.” Sing Hi was on ne feet again almost as soon as was down. Ree “Vat a rat-eader id j iss!” bubbled Carl, almost sureties otit of his saddle with merriment. “Ged a saw-horse yellow-mug! Meppy you can rite oof ee ged a -saw- horse.” The Chink’s answer to dis was nuaas unexpected He rushed at Carl, grabbed him by one leg and jerked him from his horse : then, with his skinny yellow fists he | began to polish Carl off in the most approved heathen _ manner. : “How you likee that?” Sing Hi squealed, as he ‘jabhel and side- -stepped and punched. , “Melican Dutch laughee othel side mouth.” 1 It took Carl about two ietas to quit laughing, and. about two seconds more to realize what was going on. “Yi-yibee!” he whooped. “Der hatched-poy dinks he iss some bunkins mit his fists! Schust vatch der Kaiser valk ofer der Chinese Embire!” There was no time just then for such foolishness, but before Ted could get near enough to separate the two. conibatants Carl had Sing H! by the queue and w slowly but surely working the braid around the yelss neck to do a little strangle-act of his own. It is difficult to tell how the set-to: would haves come out, for just as the battle was drawing to a crisis Ted reached the scene and pushed the fighters apart. “Enough of this,” said the King of the Wild West sternly. “Get back on your horse, Carl. Sing, mount your bronk, ride in the lead with Brezee and me and | pilot “ats: to: the place where Lafond has gone into camp.’ “Alle light,” answered Sing Hi meekly. DN) fix, dot Jinaman pefore I am droo mit him, scowled Carl darkly. “No heathen feller like dot cail lay hants on a rough riter like vat he dit.” “You shouldn't have laughed at him, Carl,” replied hed: “Eferypody laughed, = blustered Can: “He’s only a monkey mit his tail in der wrong blace, anyway.’ ‘Sing Hi took a rope from the horse Bud had given him ind tied himself to the saddle. After that the bronk could have done a war-dance and turned a somersau without getting the wily Celestial off his back. ‘ Naturally the presence of the Chink was a surprise all the rough riders who had been on the hill, and Brezee. | As they rode along, Ted explained how t hinaman had rolled down the hill in the ha a repeated the story he had told. : One or tivo of the party balked at believing the vae a possibly, Carl Schwartz—for the Chinen noe perceptibly _ in- creaseds: 4s oa “Der itee oof him vantin’ ‘to be a . rough riter Pe ed ne in aed #¥ou “ighad: as: veld ay 4 to rough riter oudt oof a pilly-goat.” . f he helps us capture Lafond, rescue Stellasand vet back the stolen cattle, Carl,” said Ben, “Sing will stand pretty high with all. of us fellows.” ae — “Vait dill he toes,” grunted Carl. now how to dake a choke.” — The Chink, having mastered the hose with the aid of the riata, galloped on blithely, He rode with his _ knees almost level with the saddle-horn—a posture that was ludicrous enough to the rough riders who always rode in true cowboy fashion, their legs straight up from their. stirrups. But Sing Hi, no matter how funny he looked in his torn and demoralized costume, was, riding straight on- ward as though he meant business. _ For Ted, at least, the story he told. was logical and, hence, “bore the impress of truth. His far-fetched idea of going out alone to capture Lafond in order to “make a hit” with the King of the Wild West was wild enough to be fathered by his heathen brain. Then, too, the plan of Lafond to separate the pursuers into two parties and attack each detachment in turn with his whole ages was a bit of cunning worthy of the Canuck. _ For an hour the party rode on at a smart pace. By then it was near the middle of the afternoon and they topped a rise and sighted the Little Musselshell. Along this part of its course the river threaded a bleak and stony country. Ahead of the rough riders and the sheriff was a small ampitheater gouged into the midst of the rocky hills. The Little Musselshell flowed ‘ through | one side of this basin-like depression. The ele- vation from which the pursuers viewed the scene enabled hem to look down into the circular hollow and take a “Dot feller don'd comprehensive survey of the situation that confronted There was grass in the bottom of the ici, ‘and there : the rough - riders could see their stolen cattle, feeding and resting, The right-hand wall of the basin, at the river’s edge, rose into a sort of tower, perhaps forty feet in height. The tower had almost perpendicular sides, and the edge of its crest was littered with botlders that formed a sort of breastwork. Behind:the boulders could be seen human forms, moving about and apparently watching the approach of the attacking party. “Well, what do you think of that!” exclaimed Brezee. : “T afond and his gang are up in the air, and seem to be defying us. If they have any rifles, they can command every approach to the basin, and pick off every. matt that fides too close.” “We could camp around the stronghold until we starved the scoundrels out!” declared Ben Templeton. “How are they going to get water up there?’ queried Kit. “And what have they done with their horses ?” Their bronks aire down in ther basin with ther cattle,” ~ spoke, up Bud, shading his eyes with his hand. “I can e ’em picketed out, handy ter grass an’ water.” “And, as for getting water for “themselves,” remarked Ted, “with a bucket and a long rope they can haul all ‘they need out of the river. We made a mistake by not bringing rifles ourselves.” “That’s certainly a high old place for a gang of cattle- ers to stand off an officer of the law,” observed the eriff, “but after sundown we'll make. things mighty a for tie, Han Aas prophet. Lafond was a fool other side of the line,” our hands,” said Ted. ' self, ‘not to Pathe os the Brisk Possessions instead a run ‘ning south into Montana.” ae “Perhaps the authorities are waiting: doe him on ae: volunteered Ted, “and he didn’t - dare take the risk of traveling that way.” ‘ “He ran a bigger risk coming down here, if he only | knew it,” said Brezee grimly. “He'll find thet out quick enough,” growled ‘cue “We're not going to wait until night before showing “T intend to ride straight for that rocky tower and find out what Lafond intends to do.” “He'll pick you off!” averred Brezee. weg “Tl take my chances,” answered Ted coolly. “While I’m riding for the tower the rest of you better scatter out and ride toward the basin from different: quarters. Have your wits about you, and don’t forget to screen yourselves from a drop-fire as much as possible. It might be well to leave your horses and’ go forward on foot when i you get pretty close to the basin.” ‘The plan was put into immediate execution. The sher- iff and the rough riders began to scatter. out as they rode down from the rise. The approach upon the basin ue stronghold was in the form of a crescent. Ted knew that the cunning Lafond, unless he nae some. unseen means of defending himself, would never take to. such a corner. What this means -was, was the thing the King of the Wild West was seeking to develop by fhe, feint at. attack. - When Ted was still a hundred yards am the ee of the granite tower, a bullet sang/past his ear and kicked up the earth a few feet behind him. -Ted ‘instantly jumped from his horse, hitched the animal behind ‘some boulders. and proceeded on, screening himself from the dropping fire by an querhegaing wall of the slope bordered the basin, : . By going on in this way he was able to come nearly. to the foot of the natural tower without exposing him- Rifles spoke again and again from the crest of © the pinnacle, proving ‘that the cattle-raiders were secking to defend the basin against the rest of their enemies. From time to time Ted halted and peered out from under the sheltering rocks. What card had.the ottanale up his sleeve that he was intending to play in | crisis confronted him? Presently Ted found out. T scoundrelly Canuck’s plan was so simple that Ted Wo: dered he had not thought of it before. When Ted stole a cautious look upward the las he saw the fluttering garments of a woman on top of one of the boulders that surmounted the tower. Stella ; he thought, and his heart leaped into his throat. Stella was not wearing her rough rider costume, a black dress which she had taken with her in a a satchel when she had left the Two-Bar Ranch for: Ma. honey’s. Compelled to gaze in a strained position, and a’ an awkward angle, the King of the Wild West could not _ see as clearly as he would have Liked tit he saw enough to understand what confidence Lafond’s cunning must have given him when he took | ae that poriiss aTROE the rocks. - A cord was tied about, Stella’s neck and was tights prasticd by a villainous halt. breed behind her. At the girl’s side, leaning over the same boulder on which she stood, was the form of a slender, sinewy man, with th peaked face of a hawk and the saturnine expression of a fiend. Updouttedly this was vie hatond, himself Ls 7+ Sapoint’. “I spik no more. = ee, 7 CHAPTER X. -LAFOND’S peo “Ou’ay ! Mee-sare Strong ! Ven is tank ,1°no See ‘were you come. Me, I know all wat you do, by gar. ~ You tink youse’f offle smart, eh? I haf smartness bet- tair as you, me, Baptiste Lafond. Stop! Lee’sen w’at 1 say.” The words floated shrilly down from the top of the pinnacle. It was the St rangler speaking, bending far out over the crest of the granite tower and staring downward with his beady eyes toward the place where Ted’s white face was gazing up.— ~ “You are Baptiste Pot are you?” srouled Ted. SW ’at: you tink?” AY mocking laugh came echoing - down—the snarling laugh, of a timber-wolf. “Who I be if not Baptiste Lafond; Ya-as, dat iss me. You haf come, Mee-sare Strong, | dor ge cattle, for ze mademoiselle, for to capture Lafond. In, all thees you will be dis- See ze mademoiselle? Ha! Ow you save ze mademoiselle’s life? Why, by goin’ away. By gar, you leave to-night. If you here’ w’en ze sun rise, zen ze mademoiselle ees strangle wis ze cord. i I razzer use ze cord as ze gun, mtus | use bot’ if you make it necessair.’ “Harm a hair of that girl’s head, Lafond,” shouted Ted fiercely, ‘“‘and“not one of your men shall ever live to cross the line and get back into Canada.” Once more that laugh like the snarl of a timber- — 2 echoed out. \ “I hat speak. Wat J say zat I do. You know zat -can keel when necessair.’ e Sick at heart, Ted turned and crept back to the place where he had left his horse. Mounting tee eoinal, jhe ? _tode off to rejoin his comrades. Brezee and the rough riders had come pick an be ~ basin’ S edge. All of them had been fired at but, by good | fortune, had managed to screen themselves and their : horses from the flying bullets. “What was ther whelp torkin’ ter ye erbout, Ted?” growled Bud. “T could hear him singin’ out somethin’ but I couldn’t make out what it was. Did you see him put Stella on the boulder at the Ige of the towér-top? y queried the King of the Wild est moodily. : “We all saw that,” aeeted Ben, his face savage with - impotent rage and resentment. ’” “Well, Lafond says that unless we leave the vicinity of the Little Musselshell by sunrise, leave him the stolen cattle, leave him his liberty, and leave ‘Stella, the girl will be strangled.” _ The cold-blooded threat brought profound silence. The are riders stared from one to another, silently ques- tioning the evidence of their senses and wondering if the heartless Lafond would be as good as his word, “Ef ‘we had some Winchesters,” growled Bud, “T’ll _ bet a hundred. ag’in a. Chink wash- ticket, I could pick ther _ Strangler off’n thet rotk as easy as I could knock a squirrel off’n a limb.” “We haven’t any rifles,” returned Ted. “What do you intend to do?” queried Bice: in a low Pyeice, f “Never yet,” returned Ted in an earnest tone, ‘have Ae allowed a threat of that kind to swerve me from what if pment was ve datyaa Ze cord ees about mer neck. She ees:in my hand, an. | keel if V wish. Stella to-night. “What is your dues now, Ted, as you “1008 at iti » : “My duty is to re- capture: that heartless monster, Bap -tiste Lafond!” “Then you will attempt it, in the Face of his threat” “T can do nothing else, boys,” and here the King 0 the Wild West addressed ‘the rough riders more particu- larly, “I had rather see Stella slainsthan left in the hands of Lafond! We can’t leave this place without her! ‘We must climb those rocks and wipe out that gang of cattle raiders!” “Thet’s ther tork, pard!’ cried Bud. ‘Vou ve hit it right, Ted!” approved Ben. “Vell make der ‘Strangler tink -he vas hit mit a ee clone!” declared Carl. : “We'll get him!” breathed Kit, between his teeth, Brezee thrust, out his hand and caught Ted’s. “That’s the spirit, my lad,” said he.’ “Have aS a plan?” “Yes.” Ted turned to Sing Hi. Lafond with him, Sing?” The Chinaman held up both hands, fingers outspread, “Allee same ten,’ said he. “Me makee count.” “That means nine now,” said Ted grimly, “and some of the ten must have been hurt during that scrimmage at the fork in the valley. How many guns have they, Sing?” Ted proceeded, again facing the Chinaman. ee savvy guns, rifles? Not revolvers.” “Me ketchee pidgin, Ted, me savvy. You tahleee. ‘sane one piecee lifle, hey? Me no count um lifle. Mebbe ie mebby fo’ , mebby fi’; no count um lifle.” “Der plame Shink don’d got sense enough to ee a gun!” exclaimed Carl disgustedly. “Vy der tickens don’d he dalk United Shdades like me?” “Melican Dutch makee talk like heap smart!” snapped Sing Hi. “Me givee him punch in jaw, alle same knock to a cocked hat. Hoop-a-la!”’ “That'll do! ’’ exclaimed Ted sharply: plan, ‘Brezee,” he went on, turning to the sheriff. “How many men “Here’s ae “Were here with plenty of small arms and ammunition, but. with- out rifles. And we haven’t any rations. We can get plenty of food and water for our horses by moving up the river, but we’ve got to have food for ourselves. “T think it will be best to go up the Little Musselshell and pitch camp ; then we'll send a couple of the boys back : to the Pipebow! for food and rifles. After night comes, and while the boys are away at the Pipebowl, I’ll make an attempt to scale that tower and rescue Stella; Once — we get her out of Lafond’s hands, we draw his fangs. After that, taking him will be easy.” 5 A good plan,” declared Brezee, and the rough riders” all agreed with him. “But I don’t think,” Brezee added, “that you ought to attempt to climb that granite pinnacle, Ted. When we get a few rifles from the Pipebowl, we’l ‘make things so interesting for Lafond up there, that he'll be glad to get terms from us and come down.” “You have known Lafond longer than I have, Brezee,” said Ted, “but I don’t think your knowledge of his charac-~ ter is so good if you have any idea that anything could — induce him to make terms. Il make an attempt to rescue — Carl, you and Kit ride to the Pipe- bowl for food and rifles. When you get back you'll us north of the stronghold on the river bank.” | : Dots as mit bot ” feet, ” said Carl, and he and Kit turned their horses and started northeast. Ae The rest of the party found ‘a place to camp in a digs . of encod sare), beyond rifle-shot from the tower, ; ses were picketed! ae i graze ona Sean supply grass, and the weary pursuers flung themselves down o rest. From ane ee of the ee Ted made coe Nature had made ie steep- -sided elevation almost un- scalable. Yet the cattle-raiders had scaled it, so there must be some feasible route of gaining. the top. Where was that route? From the elevation eastward of the river Ted had seen the side that rose from hanging ledge of rocks he had seen the side. opposite the fiver; and now he was looking at the side Opposite the one fronting the basin. These three sides offered nothing but perpendicular “stretches of wind—and sand-worn granite. No two- footed or four-footed animal could have climbed them. Plainly, then, the side by which the raiders had gained the top must have ‘been the river-side. Ted could. not get a view of this side from his present position, but the contour of its edge seemed to indicate that \it rose as -steep-to as the other three walls. shell laved the base of the fourth side. _ Ted walked down to the river, took off his clothes and swam out. The center of the river offered a point of -yantage from which the river- side of the tower could be viewed. \ Swimming just enough to ii ne position, the King of the Wild West studied the face of the wall. A ledge, which resembled the projecting lower edge of a fissure, angled upward across the face of the steep wall, beginning about fifteen feet from the ground at the cor- ner of the tower facing the camp in the cottonwoods. Oe. lower end of the ledge projected outward. This inclined shelf was not more than a foot wide in ‘places and would have tried the nerves of a mountain- goat. Yet that was clearly the way the Canucks gained cope top, and it was as clearly the route Ted must take. In order to reach the inclined. path, Ted would have to. hurl the noose of a riata upward from the ground, catching it over the projecting lower end of the ledge; en he could climb the rope to the narrow path. So interested did the King of the Wild West become in his study of the river-side of the tower that he allowed : himself to drift down-stream into rifle-range. A hoarse sping of rifles, and a swishing patter of ie : dei: and little jets of water about him apprized him of his x danger. ashore. : “Did ye find ou what ye wanted ter, pard?” inquired Bud, while Ted was getting back into his clothes. “Yes. I’m going up into that viper’s nest to-night and make an attempt to rescue Stella.” “Ye'll be puttin’ yer head in ther lion’s mouth,” warned Bud earnestly. \ifed smiled. | ; _ “Well, Bud, it won't be the first time.” _ The sun went down while Ted was dressing. The King of the Wild West waited until perhaps ten o'clock, _ then removed his jacket and shoes, threw a riata over his shoulder and crawled along the river’s edge in the di- _ rection of the tower’s base. | There was no moon that night, sand the stars were excssonally obscured by clouds. So far as ve night it- the basin; from the over-— The Little Mussel- - Dropping beneath the surface he swam under. the water, came. ” opposite the cottonwoods and went oe was ae a more fitting one tog ae oa adventure could not have offered. ; “We'll be on! the lookout ter help ye all we: can,’ assured Bud, as Ted left the camp, ay wa oe CHAPTER XI. GUN2 EEE TOWER, ‘Ted’s cautious approach to the foot of the tower was made without attracting the notice Qig those ¢ on the tower’s top. No doubt the Strangler felt so Secure in his position that he did not think it necessary to watch the tower, but had commanded his men to keep watch of the ap- _ proaches to the basin. To watch for any advance upon _ the cattle in the basin was difficult enough, owing to — the darkness, and it. was fair to surmise that all the raiders were clustered about the two sides of the tower away from the wall where Ted was to work... : : Figuring the matter out in this way, Ted arose in the: a heavy gloom at the tower’s base and flung his noose up- | ward at the projecting ledge. At the third cast the neose caught, Ted pulled on the rope until the noose tightened and remained rigid. After a wary look upward, he be- gan to climb. It was no great task to hand- over-hand his way over the stretch that separated him from the foot-path, and he soon reached the projecting point of rock, crawled | over it and on to the ledge. Here the narrowness of the path obliged him to state for the shelf was hardly wide enough for anything more than a mere foothold. After taking breath for a few _ moments, he began climbing the steep and treacherous ascent. Hard as the climb must have been by day, it was doubly so by night, when the eye was of slight service, and tt was necessary to grope upward over the crumbling ledg : Two or three times the King of the Wild West slipped — 3 in his bare feet and narrowly avoided a fall. Misplaced — stones rattled down and splashed into the river, and Ted’ listened, crowding against the flinty face of the cliff, to discover whether he had been heard by those above. ‘Fortunately the raiders) rad other things to command — their attention. he heard voices; and, while the words were distinct and plainly heard, yet the talk was all in French, and he could make nothing of it. He recognized Lafond’s voice, but listened in vain for the voice of his girl pard. rs The ledge widened at the top, widened to such an ex- tent that he could drop to his knees and crawl over the _ scarp. On the crest he lay resting for a time against the other side of one of the boulders that edged the tow- er’s top and formed part of the breastwork. He could hear the raiders moving around within a few feet of him; and while he lay there, hardly daring to — breathe, some one of the gang, apparently not familiar with French, began to speak. — uYeve got ther sitiwation’ right whar ther heer short,” came a husky comment. “Them rough riders aire up ag’inst it, Lafond, an’ they knows it.) Ted trong won't do a thing ag"inst ye so long as he thinks ye’ve got — his gal pard an’ aire ready ter strangle her when he makes | an attack.” ~ “Diable!” snarled the exultant tones of Lafond. “| tink all ees los’ when ze girl escape, but she lef’ ze satch- ee el an’ ze dress, an’ Jean he mak’ ver’ good mademoiselle. Ze rough ridair no guess ze deef’rence, hein?” _ “Bet yer life thet war shore a slick trick, Lafond. It’s a good ways up hyar, an’ the rough riders didn't dast ter come clost enough tér git next ter ther trick. Fer wits,-I’ll back you ag’in Téd Strong any day ye kind find in ther almanac.” “Anyway, Juniper, you vatch ze ba-sin. We no let zis _ Ted Strong tak’ us by sopprise.” . _ The voice ceased, and the King of the Wild West, startled by the revelation, lay on the brink recovering the _ whip-hand of himself. ae : | So Stella was not*with the raiders at all! The plucky _ girl had effected her escape, but had left her satchel be- hind, and the cunning Lafond had been having one of his _ men wear Stella’s dress and impersonate her ! , _ Ted was exultant. The story of how Stella came home _ must be a thrilling one, and it would not be long now un- til the rough riders heard it from her own lips. _ The King of the Wild West could not rescue his ‘girl _ pard—she had done that for herself—but he was in a po- _ Sition to acquire some information about Lafond and his men and could not let the opportunity slip. Ted was willing, also, to take greater risks, now that it was not _ necessary to be cautious on Stella’s account, _ Wriggling snake-like around the edge of the boulder, he gained the surface of the tower. The surface was _ an irregular square, and appeared to measure about forty feet on each side. There was a huddle of forms on the two sides fronting the basin. Most of Lafond’s men were clustered there, and were evidently straining their eyes to watch the cattle and horses.. Ted counted five _ of the black figures, silhouetted against the lighter back- _ ground of the night sky. . | Only five! Where were the rest? _. Ted continued to crawl inside the breastworks. _ denly his groping hands encountered a sleeping form. It was a form wearing a woman’s dress. : _. Drawing back, Ted waited to see whether the fotm had been aroused. The form continued to breathe heavily, and Ted set about convincing himself beyond all peradventure that what he had overheard pass be- tween Lafond and Juniper was really true. The form wore moccasins“and there was a suggestion of beard on the face. Thete could be no doubt but that ' this was Jean, who had successfully posed as Stella Fos- _ dick’s understudy. ge ’ __ Ted laughed to himself at the successful way in which he and the rest of the rough riders had been fooled. _ Starting to crawl away from the form, he encountered a pile of cartridge-belts and some rifles. : _ In order to be more at their ease among the rocks, _ the cattle-raiders had removed their belts and laid aside their weapons. If they glimpsed any of the rough riders advancing upon the basin, it would take but a moment _ to secure one of the rifles. A daring thought darted through Ted’s brain. Why not carry the cartridge-belts and the rifles to the brink of the tower and cast them into the river? It might be that the raiders would not have even a revolver left, _and would fall an easy prey to an attacking force. There _ were revolvers‘in the belts, as Ted had quickly discovered. Nothing could prove the sense of security felt by La- _fond and his men more than this piling-up of their wea- ‘pons and ammunition in one\corner of their stronghold. a ts ‘ : \ Sud-— No sooner had Ted formed his plan than he set about its execution, f ~ 'Qne by one he carried the rifles back to the Suter side of the. boulder-breastwork and laid them on the brink There were four of the guns. Then he began, on the helts, proceeding with care, for if a revolver, or a car : tridge had dropped out an alarm would have been given and his presence might have been made known. At last this work was accomplished and the guns and ammuni- tion were all heaped on the edge of the cliff. There would be a loud splash when the “hardware” and cartridges were dumped into the river, and Ted was wondering how he could regain the ledge and begin his descent after throwing over the rifles and cartridge-belts. It was a tough nut for Ted to crack, and, as a matter of fact, he never did crack it. After he had crawled back to search for another belt, one of the men who was watching the cattle walked in the direction of thé-rive side of the tower. Hee las Discovery was imminent. In order to avoid it, if po sible, Ted straightened out on the rocks and pretended t be asleep. The man came close, and all but stumbled over him, CHAPTER XII. OVER THE, BRINK, - ee If more than one man was asleep on the top of the — tower Ted felt reasonably sure that, if discovered, he — would not be recognized in the darkness or molested, | But if only Jean, was known to be asleep, and the man — found two Sleepers, naturally there would follow alarm, } discovery, and no one knew what else. © ce ~ The man muttered something as he stepped over Ted’s sprawled-out form. The next moment he stumbled over Jean, then he rose, apparently startled and suspicious, | For a second he bent over Jeai; then he returned and bent over Ted, ° : aa It was too dark to see the fellow’s face, but Ted felt instinctively that he was about to raise an outcry. Like lightning, Ted’s right fist shot up and planted a heavy blow on the fellow’s forehead. The man, under the im- pact of the sledge-hammer fist, arose and flung backward with uplifted arms, — ae “Lafond! cest——"” eee. The gurgling cry died on the man’s lips and he slumped senseless upon the rocks. But that one cry had been’ sufficient to arouse all the raiders. With a chatter of startled exclamations and a wild rush of feet, Lafond and his men darted for the opposite side of the tower. Ted had begun crawling for the ledge. Possibly he would have gained the narrow path all right had not Jean sat up and grabbed him. Ted jumped erect, strug gled clear of Jean and ran to the edge of the tower’s top, Furious words, in the Gallic tongue, arose in the night. “Rough: ridairs!” clamored Lafond. : ‘Mindful of his plan to render the raiders helpless, even in that exciting moment, Ted Strong bent over and; heaved the pile of rifles and belts into the deep waters of the Little Musselshell. The splash of their fall had not died away before Ted was assailed by Lafond and — Jean. Soe Seok “Ze cord! ze cord!” screeched Lafond, endeavoring _ with all his might to draw Ted back from the brink of — the cliff, . a. ees etl * Ted, undeppeding Txfond? s purpose to. rake a prison- | “Py chiminy P gasped Carl. | “Und dot vasn't 7 er oT him, and, realizing that if he did he would have aq ajl! Vell, vell¥’ as strong a leverage to use on the rough riders as though ‘ : - Stella was: still in his hands, he determined on an expe- When did you fellows get back from the Pip chow, Carl?” inquired Ted, sitting 2 dient of the utmost peril. Céasing his attempt to fight off the clutching foes of “Someding like an hour ago.” afond and Jean, Ted grabbed and clung to them, with Ted saw figures moving about among the dark cotton- life-and-death grip. ‘Then, clasping the two scoundrels Woods. ose, he hurled himself straight out Jone the ‘brink of “Did you bring any one with you?” ae bea Hii’ Pan ch ae “Six oof der Pipebowl fellers gome along. Dey vas ere followed a dizzy, whirling fall through the air’ : toward the gloomy waters of the Little Musselshell. et ae Tay 1G bese he like vat ve schust hat, but dey left der cattle und gome _ Shrieks of fear and consternation rang out from the lips of Lafond and Jean, frenzied cries that were smoth-~ mit me ven dey heafdt dot der rough riters iat ce ered into gurgling’ Ampotence by the closing waters of ‘Lafond onder dop oof a rock.” the river. “Did you bring some chuck ?” ‘That was one of the highest dives Ted Strong had “You bed you.” Ce ever taken. Had he been master of his own actions when “Then hustle a hand- out over this way, Carl. I haven’t he took it, he would have contrived to reach the surface i anything to eat since morning, and I reciea that has the water in a manner to do him little injury. a something to do with the way I feel. ‘But he and those with him, turned and turned in the cowitt descent. Ted struck the water at an angle, with his Carl hurried off. Sing Hi had assumed charge of the _ shoulder catching the brunt of the blow. rations and, from the sounds issuing out of the grove, it : His convulsive grip of Lafond and Jean relaxed at was evident that Carl was having , trouble corraling the | “once. Down, down he went into the cool depths of the hand-out. The Chink and the Dutchman hadn't (much _ river, strangling, gasping, and half-stunned. Rising to “love for each other. oe - oe a moment “ike 2 water-logged ~ Kit went off to make peace al hurry forward the co rations. He came back with half a dozen canned beef” « With a. second as his wits came back nat he drew cy upon his strength. Expelling the water irom his sandwiches and a tin-cup of hot coffee. Ted pulled off _ lungs as he gained the surface, he beeen swimnting. his wet clothes and wrapped himself in a blanket. _ “Yi-yipee! Ted!” “TE you've: got 4 fire,” said’ he, “have Sing dry that Some one else was cleaving the water near him, Vas outfit for me. With dry clothes outside, and a lunch i in- “Is that you, Bud?’ gurgled Ted. _ side, I’ll feel a hundred per cent. better. From now on, } “Shore, pard. What happened ter ye?” Brezee,” Ted continued, addressing the sheriff as he be- ee took a high dive from the cliff- -top with Lafond and gan a the food, “we'll have those cattle-raiders at our P another of his men. Never mind me, Bud. Look/ot out ee) | for Lafond.” mercy.” Bud thrashed | through the water, risiig for a look | tow do you mean?” returned Brezee. “Do y ot . across the river’s dark surface and blowing like a aor think the capture of Lafond we cause them to oe heart han! 18 y and surrender ?”’ (i see “im,” sputtered Bud. | “That will h fect, t butt waver ery ” es at Wi ave an eirect, o course ; u wa - ied. Te got all 4 can ing of that when I spoke. \ While I was on the tower I ae to fight the current and get myself to land.” OS ee ee to Bins aosice. Managed throw all io guns and ammunition into ance and Ted fought his way to the bank. | So tired was _ the river.’ he, when he felt the firm ground under his feet, that he “Well, by thunder, you made a star-play, if that is ee hardly crawl. Carl and Brezee caught him and he cee? declared races. elped‘him up the bank. : Ne : : : “Great Scott!” exclaimed the sheriff. “You must have “He alvays thakes sittar-blays,” put-im Carl proudly 7 had 4 tough time of it, Ted.” _ - “Dot's der vay Ted does pitzness.” | ee - “A mighty successful time of it, too,” answered Ted, ~ 1 believe you,” answered the sheriff heartily. | ~ ee tonic at full length upon the warm earth. “Not all of Laford’s men are on the rock,” Ted con- a “Abed you ditn’t rescue Shtella, dit you, Ted?” queried tinued; “that is, not unless you fellows did more execu- a Carl. ' tion, back there! at the fork in the ravine, than we sup-_ oS “She wasn’t there to resctie, | posed. He had six men up there, including himself. _ “Not there?” echoed ‘Kit, in alarm. “Yoh don’t mean Sing: Hi said there were ten, all told. Counting out the “ oe say that that scoundrel, Lafond > fellow who was killed at the fork of the ravine, nine “Stella got away from Lafond,” broke in Ted; “I would be left. There may be three around somewhere. ound that out. When she left, she went so quick that she didn’t take her satchel with her. There lee a dress Perhaps you had better have the Pipebow! Fellows g0 (inte pec and Lafond as one of his men into it out and take a look around the basin.” a ‘ and— a oS “T’ll do it, at once,” ‘said Brezee, hurrying ae 122 ¥ ae fuse tim , Bud and. Ben had got their man Gt _ of the river. “They came up the bank, carrying him be- - tween them. As soon ds Ted got a glimpse of.the figure . they were bearing he knew it was not Lafond, for a wet and bedrageled dress hung down from the still form. “Lafond must er been maskeradin’ in wimmen’s clothes,” said Bud. “That isn’t Lafond,’ answered Ted, “but one of La- fond’s men who went over the cliff with me. Didn’t you see anything of the Strangler in the tiver ?” “This hyer is ther only feller thet was in the river,’ Bud answered. “Then Lafond has made his escape!” expand Ted, heavily disappointed. “Maybe he’s in the bottom of the river?” suggested : Ben. . . ; Po Ben had satay spoken when a swift fall of hoofs : reached the ears of the rough riders from the direction Of the basin. Accompanying this was a shrill call. The call was answered from the tower-top in the same tongue, and the thump of hoofs died swiftly away in the dis- - tance. “There he goes now!” shouted Ted, springing to hig feet. “Bring my clothes, some of you fellows over pere.”’ | : It was discouraging, after Ted’s plucky work, to dis- cover that Lafond had made his escape. But the for- or tunes of war are not always on the right side. CHAPTER XIII. SING HI MAKES ANOTHER HIT. | Brezee brought Ted’s clothes, wrung out and partially dry. While Ted got into them, Bud went for the rough riders’ horses. “Blamed hard luck! ” srowled Bice when told of , Lafond’ S escape, | “Lafond is as slippery as an eel, * said Ted. “He evaded Bud and Ben in the river, slipped ashore and oined the three raiders who had been left below. Now the four are off on their horses, and it is up to us to give them a night-chase. The outlook isn’t very bright, Brezee. This darkness will bother us. Where were the ‘Pipebowl men?” ey -“T sent them into the basin. That freak of a Chink jumped my bronk and took after the raiders. He was hard after them before I fairly realized what he was about.” / 2. That Chink ‘is a conundtun? muttered Ted. “He means well enough, and the chances are about even whether he gets strangled or hangs onto the trail of the taiders. I and my pards-will slide out on the trail and ‘see what we can do. You had better stay here, Brezee, and 1 tell the FApeLOWE men how, to take care of the rest a ing a moment. night happens to be as dark as that one was. ' tinued to scurry across the zenith, blotting out the star- oe the ee ‘Watel’ the ibe: hag: and be s they don’t come down from the tower until they co as prisoners. There’s a chance - wipe out Oe. of th gang, even if Lafond gets away.” “Til stay here if you say so, Ted,” araween Brezee, “although I’d a heap rather be with you rough tiders chasing Lafond.” , The horses came up, Bud, Ben, Carl, and Kit mote the two first-named were buckling on their belts and revolvers as they rode, Carl was leading Ted’s horse an Kit was bringing Ted’s belt and weapons. In making hi climb to the top of the tower, the only weapon the Kin; of the Wild West had taken with him had been a dirk. Ted took his arsenal from Kit, got it about, his wai and sprang into the saddle. “Have the Pipebowl boys bunch up the Two Bar 6 cat tle and drive them to the ranch, Brezee,”’ said Ted, halt- “Tell them I'll make it right with them. You know what to do with your prisoners, of course Some of them may have been mixed up in the strangling of Mahoney. There’s an American renegade among the lot, and if you could get him to turn State’s evidence it might be a good thing.” a ~“Tll do my level best, Ted, to help you wind ap th gang—you may be siire: oi that. A. Thereupon Ted spurred after his pards, who had al- ready forged ahead along the trail of the fleeing raiders. The rough tiders were overtaken in the valley along which the raiders had driven the stolen cattle, ae “Mebby Lafond went this hyer way, an’ mebby he didn’t,” muttered Bud, as Ted rod up beside him. “The raiders headed this way, anyhow,” spoke up Ben. “And it’s a safe bet they went northeast,” struck in Kit. “Canada lies in that direction. I guess Lafond has had enough troubles this side of the border to wan to. get back home.” ae “Anyvays,” chirruped Carl, “oof dot Shdrangiee oe Bye he’ll nefer forged how der to) titers shdirred him oop.” A night pursuit is always interrupting, especially if pee Clouds con- light and making the chase a sort of “by- rece ee *~by- gosh” affair, as Bud put it. x Yet the rough riders pushed asia on at ‘chete best : speed. After half an hour of that sort of work, during which the fleeing raiders were neither seen nor heard, Ted called a halt for counsel. “We have ridden far enevehe and fast enough,” said .Ted, “to have come close to Lafond and his men if they were riding in this direction. It may be that we are hurrying directly away from them, or that they left the — valley somewhere betweén here and the place we entered — it. In my opinion, to do anyieg more this side of day- light mal be a waste of Be ik “1 le d ™ m ea sorry we're Shae up ice we aire.” “We'd better stay right here,” said Ben, “and wait r daylight. Morning isn’t far off, now, anyhow.” * “That will be best,” said Kit. : The rough riders dismounted, and for two Hout waited n the valley. Dawn was tinging the east when they nounted again and, in the dim light, began searching the jumple of cattle-tracks for some signs of a recent pas- ‘sage of horses, going the other way.: : _ Te was futile work, inasmuch as the’ light was not suf- ficient for it. As the morning brightened they hunted in : vain for the prints of horses’ hoofs pointing notheastward. A running horse will leave a deep hoof-print i in soft earth, but the rough riders could not discover any such trail. | They turned back along the valley, ent ane upon : harder and stonier ground as they proceeded. : 4 1 reckon it’s 4 case 0° up-sticks, Ted, te barked. Bid loos. “We're back onter rocky in veven ther cattle-tracks hev played out on us,” Ted climbed up the slope at the side of the siitey: and looked northward over the crests of the hills. What he saw brought an exclamation of satisfaction and pleased o surprise to his lips. The rising sun gave him a fleeting _ glimpse of a horseman crossing a hilltop far in the dis- tance. The man was too far away to be identified, but it was easily to be seen that he was heading south and was ina good deal of a hurry. Be Ted rode down into the valley so that the ihluicn might not see him and take alarm at the sight of a pos- sible enemy. _ \ “There i is some one. riding this way, pards,’ announced Ted. “If he keeps on the way he’s headed, he ought to : strike the valley at just about this point. We'll halt heré and wait for him.” The curiosity of the rough riders was aroused to a keen pitch, They scarcely hoped that the solitary horseman was Lafond; but if he proved to be one of. Lafond’s raiders, the fellow might be captured and made to lead the way to'the place where Lafond had gone into tem- porary hiding. : “The Strangler will have to stop | a good many times be- _ tween here and the border,” said Ted. “It’s a three days’ trip, at the least, and he and his men will have to be . careful of their horses. He got away from the basin in - arush, too, and probably didn’t have time to equip him- ‘self with rations, guns, or anything else but horses and riding-gear.” “Everybody ‘between here and the Canada line knows of Lafond’s escape from the Paisley jail, by this time,” ‘said Ben, “and there’s not a man but will be on the lookout for the scoundrel. -gantfet if he strikes for Canada,” : “He'll have to run the gantlet whichever way he strikes, | Ben,” said Kit. ag By | a , Lafond will have to run the Ay; a 4 very anche in this” ‘part of Mon- tana is worked up over the killing of Mahoney.” — te “That fellow in woman’s clothes—Jean, Lafond alee him,” said Ted, “was he dead when you parce him out | of the water, Bud?” 8 “Dead as a mackerel,” answered Bud. “From dig looks o’ things he must hev struck his head on somethin’ during thet fall from ther top o’ ther cliff.” i “Then there won’t be any chance of his giving Brezee the slip and communicating with Lafond, in case he hap- pened to know where Lafond went. But some of the — others——”’ : Ted bit off his words abruptly. A man on a jaded horse had mounted to the top of the valley’s rim and was ene there looking down at the rough riders. “Jumpin’ sand-hills?’ snorted Bud disgustedly, “it’s : thet confounded Chink o’ your’n, Ted.” ‘Vat righdt has dot feller got to fool us like dot?” fumed Carl. “He don’d know pags ven der peans iss. oben.” Kit and Ben laughed a little to hide their chagrin. Ted seemed to be the only one who was taking the Chinaman seriously. “Hoop-a-la!” quavered Sing Hi. ee “Hoob-a-la yourseluf!”” shouted Carl a “Vat's s “a der madder mit you, anyvay ?” “Me no talkee Melican Dutch,” flung back Sing Hi, with contempt plainly evident in his tones. “Me talkee. Ted Stlong; me wanna makee hit with Ted Stlong.” “What have you been up to, Sing?” queried Ted. “Makee plenty good biz. Me wanna be lough lider. You savvy ?” Sea “Good heavens, Sing, I ought to savvy that by this : time.” “Me dlive balgain, glide one piecee balgain.” ; _“Palgain!” snorted Carl. “Vat der tickens iss ‘pal- gain?’ Vy don’d you’dalk English, you yello” faced headen ?” : “He means bargain,” spoke up Ben. drive a bargain with you, Ted.” 1 ; “He swiiti to “What sort of a bargain do you want to drive, Sing?” ae went on Ted, “Me makee show how you findee Ba’t tiste, you maker Sing Hi lough lider. “How likee that ?”. “Make dot rad-eader a roug® riter,” famed Carl, “and I resign from der force!” “Do you know where Lafond is?’’ asked Ted. “Bettee bottom dol’ !” “Where. is he, then?” “You makee China boy lough lider?” - The idea had its ludicrous aspect, ae Bud, Ben, and? Kit began to laugh. Carl scowled ey not being able to See the fun of 1°) & “You take us to the place where Lafond is,” sate Ted, smiling, “and [’ll make you a ee rider, Bing. ay ee meee ? The delighted Celestial ‘waved He ‘hands : in a spasm of joy. “Ted Stlong makee me lough lider! Me lidee hlorse, thlow lope, shootee gun. Me makee heap fine cow-punchel.” a4 : “Ach, du lieber!” he 2? ~ “Cow-punchel!” mimicked Carl. - gtoaned, tossing his hands. : "You lidee longside Sing Hi,” shouted the Chinaman, “and me makee show how you findee Lafond.” The rough riders rattled their spurs and forced their horses up the slope. Sing Hi had already pointed his own mount the other way, arid was pawing ang ae across the hills. - %, CHAPTER XIV, ! ‘THE ae eur “Sure you know where you're going, Sing?” Ted asked, as he and his pards galloped close to the China- - € Ted's. pards, their horses at a standstill, were clustered around him.; Each rough rider had his head bowed in man. 2 Allee time, Led!” _ “And you can take us to the place dhe Lafond is es out?” ~* Can do.” “You followed the raiders when they left the basin?” “Me follow; keepee one piecee back alle while. Laiders » no can see Sing Hi, Sing Hino ean see laiders. lee “samee Sing Hi follow. Keepee tlail by lis’en. 17 yes.” There might be something in Sing Hi, aiter‘all, He was persistent in whatever he undertook—this had been brought home to Ted by sad experience. And Sing Hi could stand hard knocks, and he was courageous in a bull-. headed, Chinese way. “How far we got ter go, Sing?” inquired Bud, “Mebby fo’ ate mebby fi. No savvy how makee count.” ; | 2 “We're on the Pipebowl Rangé,” remarked Kit, look- ing around, “and can’t be very far os the place where the outfit is having their round-up.” “The Chink seems to know what he’s about,” said Ben. “Tt’s fair to suppose that Lafond and his men would lay by in some place during the day and do most of their traveling by night. From that, it looks to me as sionge he had the right end of the stick.” - “Righdt end oof nodding!” muttered Carl. “I'll ped _ somet’ing hantsome dot he’s leating us righdt indo an — ampush. e : \ “Cut it out, Carl,” warned Kit. “No use staying mad 4 at the Chink¢ just because he pulled you off of your “Tg ain’d!” peers Carl, Hbadens like dot ain’d fit Q for vite men to keep mit gompany. Dot’s all apoudt id. ae d ke a fall oudt oof dot yello’ mug vone oof dose Hoop-a-la! — Savvy ® ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY." - Up-hill oad digune over a See ne course, Sing: Hi led the rough riders. Several wide valleys were crossed, val- leys deep in rich grass and forming an ideal range. “These hyer Pipebowl fellers hev got a layout mighty nigh as good as what we hev at ther Two- Bar,” said Bud, casting a critical eye around him as Sing Hi, striki: into one of the oun stopped His hill- “SHOSPINE: and be: gan following it. “It’s a good range,’ said 5 “but they haven't any hay meadows like ours, or Ted drew sudden rein. “Hold up, boys!” he called out warningly. “No. stop!” cried Sing Hi; “makee quick lun, findee Lafomd 1? wu’ “Come: ack here!” roared Ted Very possibly Sing Hi did not hear, or, if he did. ee he must have failed to understand. A bend in the valle lay just ae of him, and he galloped around it and was lost td the eyes of the rough riders. listening attitude. What Ted’s keen.ears had heard first was now paten _ to the rest of them. A muffled sound as of distant thun- der, accompanied by a metallic clickity-clack, was slowly growing in volume. | : a “Stampede!” ¢eried Ben. | | “Der Pipebowl cattle iss on der run!” shouted Carl. knowed dot ve vas near der rount-oop, und . “The stampede is coming along this ales broke i Kit, pointing over the valley’s rim to a fog of dust. The fog was rolling along through the hills, making ‘at a tremendous pace toward the turn in the valley -around which Sing Hi had just vanished. | Ae * The Pipebowl fellows left their cbuad -up to come 1 the basin and help corral Lafond,” said Ted. “Only, a few men were left with the cattle—probably not enough to take care of a stampede. We must help the Fipehoyy fellows, pards. Over that hill, there, and see what oe can do to get the leaders to milling!” The rough riders whirled their horses toward the side of the valley. An old buffalo trail, a foot or more in - depth, ran along the middle of the ak So quickly did Carl turn his horse that the animal’s hind foot slipped into the trail and Carl was spilled out of the saddle. ‘While Bud, Ben, and Kit raced on and began climbing the slope that hemmed in the valley on one side, Ted spurred forward, caught Carl’s horse, and held the brute until its Hder had picked himself up and got 1 into the) saddle again. “T didn’t see dot ouistale-teah as ad Carl sheepishh y “IT bed you someding for*nodding dot Jinaman has led us indo dis shtampede on burpose, Ted?!’ ea “Nonsense, Carl!’’ returned Ted sharply. “If the. Cine man had done that, he wouldn’t aoe ridden around the snd an plunged i into the ‘cattter: : joys. e front of the herd.” rl made off a best speed ched for the leaders to Oia crowd thee ctirve. gue and indistinct. ee Ted ‘plunge: a ee ler in the lead of the maddened steers. : swiftly the King of the Wild West brushed one hand across his eyes, and his lithe figure straightened tensely in he saddle. He drew a deep breath, and stared:as Neonat nought his eyes must be playing him a trick, tella, his girl pard, was in front of the stampede ca. ering down the valley on a horse that was: almost at the last gasp. How came ‘Stella there?) What in the vorld was she doing on the Pipebowl Range when Ted ad been fondly persuading himself that she was ae at 1e Two-Bar? - - Like Hekinini these queries darted hanced bhai Then, unable to account for the strange turn of ‘events, he nerved himself to do what he could for his girl pard. Stella!” he called, his voice rising high above the © der of the pounding hoofs. “Ride this way, Stella!” é girl looked toward him out of the swirl of dust, back something which he could not eG and One Wierout a moment’s aihiod Ted eed bi spurs, | aying an angling course across the valley and across the path of the charging cattle. i . It was his aim to ride alongside of Stella, sweep her from the back of her doomed horse, and then, if possi- ble, regain a refuge on the hill slope. - Before he had covered half the distance. that sepa- ‘rated him from the girl, the jaded horse stumbled and went down, pitching Stella cleay of the saddle. The -horse’s. front feet had slid into the buffalo trail. “You can’t save her, Ted!” shouted Kit, who, with the other, rough riders, were racing along at the edge of the frantic herd. “You'll both be done fer, Ted! ” whooped Bud, in as : torian tones. 5 ‘But the King of the Wild West kept mae on, “Stella was | Jying oes upon the Brass where her falling hort Ge" 0 alter dl the rest Fi souk here and see What Te ‘can ‘do fron ; had dune) her. ae an Tasty: heads down, oS geen: horns Unie to her hevselt in any way, every- < thing depended upon Ted. Hee ~ He was forming a plan as “he rode. ver “deta a ne the situation flashed through his mind. He measured the speed of the approaching steers, calculated on theglength of time it would take them to reach Stella, figured on — how many ‘seconds - he would consume in reaching her f side himselfand in dging the thing he had planned—Ted’s brain did all this in an intérval inconceivably brief, and a thrill of hope ran pulsing through his nerves. “We can’t turn them!” shouted Ben, while the King of the Wild West raced on toward the silent form of his girlypard. I Ted Strong’s ee moves ea an object les- son in quick and certain doings that command success. Not the turn of a wrist, or the slightest bending of his. supple body, but had a part, and a vital part in oe work 2 he had mapped out for himself. - eo _ He stopped his: horse with a oul that dike te sae a7 back on the haunches, front hoofs within a foot of Stella’s - head. He was out of the saddle almost as soon as the horse stopped—on the ground and pushing Stella into the buffalo trail. With a splendid expenditure of strength, he pulled the fallen horse across the trail to protect the — form of his girl pard; then, as if by magic, he flung himself into the huge rut and also disappeared tinder the fallen horse—a’: one ee for oe fp the aol of net a awful. peril... ‘ . But the girl’s seni by hon had ‘also hecorn! Ted's, : Ted’s bronk had hurled away in. front of the racing steers, — leaving the King of the Wild West no means of iui : even if he had had such a purpose in mind, oe ‘There would have been no time for retreat, anyway. The loss of a second meant the loss of life. a Barely had Ted vanished under the fallen horse when the tidal wave of cons pete all that pare of the ek fa CHAPTER XV. STELLA’S HARD FIGHT. ‘ida Ben, Carl, and Kit saw all this proceeding ieaek ‘ floating dust-clouds. All thought of stopping the’ stam- pede passed away from them; their only concern was 3 for Ted and Stella. ee The cattle passed:on, the thunder of hoofs sicninishing ; down the valley. Pipehow! men flashed oy! in wild pursuit. : : We'll take keer o’ ther critters!” shouted one Wee ie Pipebowl outfit, “Three o’ ther boys hev Bone er head ’em at ther foot o’ ther valley.” The Pipebowl man vanished into the dust. thes a ‘Bree man into a smoke-cloud. From different directions, Bud, Ben, Carl, and Kit spurred toward the center of the ROUGH | ‘RIDER w SEKLY. = Cx os “They was on in front 0’ er herd,’ fe ad Bid, in a, shaky ng voice; seen “em: thar.” Jnd I saw ‘Ted's horse goin’ down. der Galles. mit- a ce any, vone in vider saddle,” added Carl.. “Stetla a’s horse dropped,” said Ben. SS “And Ted pushed Stella into. the buffalo trail,” a in’ oS Kit, “pulled the dead horse over her, then crawled i in.un-— der the horse Himself.” ne “Never seen a thing like thet: done afore," Bud, hope mounting in his voice. “T never heard of it being done before,” said Ben. “No vone but Ted vould efer ‘haf. aa oof doing _ the trail. id,” declared Carl. The four rough riders came to the boise: which had been trampled almost out of recognition. they pulled the animal aside, fearful of what they.might : behold. But the dead body of the animal had oe its work well. To the intense relief of the four rough riders, Ted | lifted himself from the trenchlike trail, and drew Stella 2 after him. So far from being injured, consciousness had returned to the girl while the stampede was passing over _ her. “Ted!” exclaimed Stella, sitting up on the edge of ne - buffalo ‘rail, .“‘l never ae to see you! I thought sure my last moment had come.’ ‘ “tt would ’a’ Ae too, Stella,” been fer thet buffalo trail. ter be gittin’ home. Was ye locoed, er what? any move ter git out er ther road!” “T couldn’t make any move to. get out ae the. ond. Bud,” said Stella, picking up her hat. “One of my bridle- reins had become loose from the bit-ring, and I had no. control of my bronk. The animal tore right along’ in front of the steers!” “Tt isn’t one of the Two-Bar bron Stella,” _. looking at the dead animal. “T left my horse behind when I got away from Lafond 29 and the cattle- raiders,” explained Stella, “and/ borrowed another mount at the Pipebowl Ranch.” “What happened to you, little girl?” ; oad Ted. we re resting a bit you might tell us.’ ig left Mahoney’s early yesterday moriing,? answered. “Prue felt so badly over her father’s death “While that she - aa’ hear to my leaving before then, al- though I knew very well you would be expecting me at I got an early start, and took the Hokomo the Two-Bar. | trail for Happenchance. oo At a place where dee trail crossed a lea lit smaller than this one,” said Stella, looking: around, . heard a owing of cattle, and knew that. some one or other was making a drive. hpcuiente Dismounting, — that. said Bud, “ef it hadn't - Blame queer way fer you Ye was. ridin’ right along ahead o’ ther steers, an’ not makin’ steers were being driven. said a Stella As the cattle seemed to. be = quite near, I drew rein and waited for them to. a The . and oe be. able to tell me © wheter or r not Lafon - been eatight.”: Ween A at Melcie: ‘S uch. pretty: soon after it happened, 1 i d your’ putin Benw o<« . mG “A cowboy rode in with thie news’ from Hokomn plained Stella. “Well, I was mightily surprised w saw that those passing cattle bore the Two -Bar br There were something over a hundred cattle in the bunc and ten. tough-looking men, all armed with revolvers some of them carrying rifles, were pushing them a That was a whole lot of punchers for suct small lot of cattle; I thought, and Ted Strong’s cattle The rascally-looking cattleman had a. -Chinama with them,:and. the Chinaman had his hands bound at his back and was riding the ee a of horse I ever saw. “The looks of the men, their ‘number, the way "ae were armed, and the fact that they had a Chinaman alon: asa prisoner, all aroused my suspicions. I stopped he leader of the outfit and wanted to know whey he een h cattle. 7) oe } 7 “The: fellow ahentred me in a sort of eu patois, and said that he had bought the cattle and was driving them to his home ranch. I asked him where his home ranch was, and he said it was none of my business. Then I told him that the cattle belonged to Ted Strong, and : that he couldn’t have bought them of Ted, because the Two-Bar Ranch lay in the direction toward which he’ “Suddenly. the Chinaman spoke up: ‘These m cattle-raiders,’ said he, in his pidgin English, ‘and thei leader is Baptiste Lafond.’ The Chinaman said tha much, and then the maf nearest him struck him a blo in the face that nearly knocked him out of the sadd! The next minute the rascals closed inon me. I strugg e a little, but it was of no use. They did not tie me, ~ two of them. oe my horse to theirs, oF s was , less.to get away. “After we eae some distance fee down the valley Lafond had a talk with the Chinaman, and let him loo in charge of three other men. The cattle were divided _ at a fork in the valley, and some were driven one way. and some another. Later, the Chinaman went back along the trail. ‘with the three men with him, and ay rest oF us went on to the Little Musselshell. “It was while we were among the rocks on 1 the Little Musselshell that I got away. The other bunch of cattle : _ joined the herd we were following, at ‘the river, and’ two. of the men sent back along the trail with the Chinaman came in. Evidently they had had hard luck. Only tw of their number ¢ came back and ho had. leet the ee man. ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY, Le savage. as a beer ti a was left: in “tiara of one of the men while Lafond was talking with the © and.some | more-of the party were caring for the the. horses. I pretended ‘to: be ‘asleep: on® the - . neat the river’s edge, but I was pies the fele™ lo rhs had me in veharge, all the timgy End ak was ‘my. eral to jump up, seats tay: re- volver-belt: from the place where: my captors had left it, and dart into. the brush. - There was a great huecand aised, but I ran like a deer, keeping to the trees and” brush along the river.all.the way. I was out the rest’ of. that day and half the Dish and then I ee eer el ranch- house. Ease to. eat a a oa to. isk in. She told: how Carl and Kit had come i in for rations and rifles, © and how some of the Pipebowl men had gone back: with m to” lp. Ted and the rough riders capture Lafond. 1, tell you, boys,” said Stella proudly, ‘ ‘that was er OB ws for me. . But I might have known that my pards: uld be mixed up in that business—any Mwless doings n the Little Musselshell Range are sure to find the rough riders ranged on the side of law and order.” "No ponders, please,” smiled Ted, with a fond lopleat ; his girl pard; ‘ | 5 “Well, ” continued Stella, “this morning I borrowed a horse and started for the Little Musselshell to help round up the cattle-raiders. The first thing I knew, there was eS stampede closing in behind me. I gave a smart tug on the bridle, and the rein came away from the bit. The cattle were too close for me to get off and repair the rein, so I had to push on and’ trust to luck. The horse Iwas not much good, but he managed to keep me ahead= of the steers until he dropped both feet into that buffalo. Serail, Just about then I remember seeing you, Ted, but right after I was flung from the saddle by the fall of the Eh OFse,. and my senses left me. - “T came to in that stuffy buffalo trail, with a horrid - thumping over my head, and with you lying close by in | the trench. You all know the rest.’”’ Stella put out. her | hand and took Ted’s. “I have had a hard fight of it | getting back home from Mahoney’s,” she went on, “but the worst thing that happened to me was that broken | rein in front of the stampede. But for Ted, the rough iders would have lost their girl pard for good. It. isn’t p the first time one or the other of my pards has pulled “me out of a tight corner, but I don’t Be I ever before had quite such a close call as this one.’ | “And I hope,” | never have quite such a close call again. Have any of je fellows the slightest idea what became of my horse: - ) Ted got up slowly as he put the question to his pards. a “Hyer comes thet surprise-Chink 0’ your’n, Ted,” said. ‘just keep right ahead with your story.”, Hill Bey flom stampede. — returned Ted fervently, “that you'll | ain't headin yore bronk. Will some ’un please explain however thet hatchet-boy could disappear up one end OF ther valley, runnin’ jam inter ther stampede, and then : come breezin’ back’ by t’other end 0” ther valley? ‘He’s shore more kinds 6 of er pies package ve T ever “seen _ before.” oy “Hoop- -a-la!” chattered the joyful voice of f Sing E Hi, as - he trotted toward the rough riders. | “Who is that Chinaman, Ted?” queried Stella. “He’s a new recruit for the rough riders, Stella,” laughed Ted. “I have made a bargain with Sing Hi, and if he leads us to the place where Lafond has gone into” hiding, he is to be enrolled as one of us. But you'll have - to.hear the whole story before you can understand all th . this, and there isn’t time to go over it now. : oe “We'll” leave that. dead horse where’ he fell—some of : the Pipebowl men will surely happen along and get the riding-gear—and we'll all go on with the Chinaman. _ We can’t take any chance of missing Lafond if its sa pass ‘ sible thing to catch him.” . “Where have you come from Sing: - aan Bens; as site " Chink rode up and smiled gently while. he put Ted’ S reins into his hand. “No can tell,” said Sing Hi. place. Hlorsee takee bit in him teet’, lun likee Sam Me findee myself down val- ley, an’ start lidee back, see Ted Stlong’s hlorsee, takee — blidle and makee come ‘long. You leddy now go ay makee ketch Lafond ?” . “Yes,” said Ted; “the quicker we pull that deh off now, the better. How much farther do we have to go." “Mebby half-mile. No makee count.” \ Sing Hi evidently recognized Stella, for ie grin ay at her in a knowing but respectful way. Ted took eNte up behind him, and the party started off, once more = ‘ the wake of the aor CHAPTER XVI. ! THE CAPTURE OF LAFOND . Whether or not Sing Hi was afraid of bute into 2 any more stampedes, those who were trailing after him did not. know; yet his forward progress, from that mo- ment, was fade with much caution andin a very leisurely es manner. | ; - Around the bend in the valley a narrow, gullylike defile opened out of the slope to the north. Just within : 2 : the gully entrance, Sing Hi halted and got down from ae his horse. “Bettel we leavee blonks in this place,” said hes “Plenty tlouble, mebbe, bimeby. We'go alle samee walk.” _ ‘The rough riders dismounted and left their horses in Stella’s charge; then they took after Sing Hi once more, — and followed him as he waddled around one crook after we Bud, looking down the valley, “an’ ‘I’m er Piegan ef ne. ¥ another of ‘the tortuous defile. “Makee lun most uel ae S sade almost a (cada turn, ae came tie. wail fepore | Oba revolver. ‘Sing Hi gave a quavering yell, seaiped into the air and fell flat on the ground. ut pl “Thar goes ther Chink!” exclainied Bud. “He wae “newe go ee. jail, ae hang and 20 ore ine tee ther end, an’ thet’s a hull lot ter his credit.” —_likee that, oe Ps , . _ The rough riders had been following Sing Hi at a dis- tance of about fifty feet. The Chinaman..had himself : _ suggested that they pines in this manner, as he wanted “to make one piecee scout” as he went alonue é The report of the revolver and the fall of the China- Lee along with head drooping and back haped man were signals for Ted to leap forward. Before he like a spiteful cat's. he could gain the angle, Lafond came rushing around the — At sight of the or aac bronk, Sing _— shoulder of rock, followed by. three OF his bec fol- joyously: _ lowers. ' Rather an unexpected event biped: jast ‘heh ae fond: leaped over the prostrate form of Sing Hi, discov- ered the rough riders and whirled to run ‘back up ‘the gully. Thereupon the supposedly defunct ' Chinaman ith whiclr Lanford was bound: he rushed over to the d grabbed Lafond about the knees, pulled him-to the ground, reputable-looking animal, put his arms about the scrawt and got astride him, two clawlike hands. twining ‘them= neck, and pressed his yellow cheek to the bronk’s fa selves about the cattle-raider’s throat.’ es - "Dot’s der vorst vat I efer seen!” said Carl, tur Lafond gave a gurgling call for help; ‘but his three fol- away in disgust. “Der horse und der Chink iss 00 lowers had their own safety to think of, and did not turn 4 kindt—und dey ain’d my kindt, I tell you dot.” back to aid him. But, Ben, Kit, and. Carl leaped past — _ “Where are the other three men, Bud?’ asked Ted. Sing Hi and Lafond in pursuit of the ten trio, Ws - ee Wek us somethin’ easy, Ted, ” ae Bud. ie didn Ted halted to help the Chinaman. see hide ner ha’r of em.” - “Were you shot, Sing?” asked Ted. “Up above there a wat did Bet “the saat 0 “Hoop-a-la!” exulted Sing Hi. “Makee play like gully is honeycombed with holes, leading Heaven kn : . possum, you savvy? Plenty hole in lock, and mebby. _ where. Probably the rascals knew of a secret way Of loin get away when he lun. China oe makee Bay so ' getting out of this cut, and took advantage of it, ” | Z s “Anyhow,” added Kit, “they gave us the slip, an “You’ re a cute one! has Ted. “Take the scoundrel’ © didn’t think it worth while ae too much time trying | gums | ayey rout him, a oe a to capture them.” same. ia MBe ALBERT MorANTE. Write again when the spirit moves you. y 2 The “Rough Rider Weekly” is the best I have ever read. It is a weekly which, when once read, a person will always read. It is interesting and clean. Ted Strong, the King of the Wild | West, is the man I “root” for. He is certainly a born leader, © a man of iron netve, and a kind heart.” He is always at the front, in time of danger. WILLIAM EXERT. Philadelphia, Pa. Ted has shown himself to be a leader of exceptional ability. (A letter from Kansas.) ee ae _I have just finished reading No, 131 of the “Rough Rider Weekly,” and think it is the best I have read. I am well ac- quainted with the life pictured in the “Rough Rider Weekly,” and say that it comes as near being the real thing as words can make it. I will try and push it to the best of my ability. J. C. ‘Perhaps you have seen Ted some time in the past when he passed through your State. (A letter from Maine.) : T like the “Rough Rider Weekly” because it tells me about cowboy-life and is very interesting. If I can I intend to increase its circulation. ELMER A. Pratt. One learns a great deal about the way cowboys live by reading © the “Rough Rider Weekly.” “4 (A letter from Contiecticut.) The “Rough Rider Weekly” is certainly the best five-cent weekly ever published. Mr. Taylor describes every character true to life. I have beet West inyself for a short time, and find that Mr. Taylor has described everything cortectly. The trouble with lots of Western stories is that the author himself has never — been out West, but has copied the information from other stories, written by authors who know their stibject at first hand. Mr. Taylor shows that he is thoroughly acquainted with West- ern characters, describing alike the warm-hearted, generous, and © fun-loving cowboy, and the burly ruffians who give some places _ in the West a bad name. ‘ es One catinot help getting intetested in Ned Taylor’s stories from first page to last. Sotne books require to be read half+ through before one is interested. The American youth does not want this kind of romance. He wants one that, after three minutes reading, nothing can stop him from finishing the story. Such are the stories Mr. Taylor writes. One could read a ‘thousand of his stories and still want more. Another feature of his work is the nobleness of the hero. The youth of America like a hero who can prove that he has a hand of iron and netves of steel, and also a heart of kindness. Some authots describe a youthful hero who fancies a wrong done him, atid sets out to tepair it. either gives him a chance for his life, in a battle in which he—the hero—easily cotiquers him, ot else saying, “Die, villain!” he mur- ders him in cold blood. Real, healthy boys invariably. sicken of this literature. Mr. Taylor seems to have profited by the mistake of others. ss ce Ted Strong is an ideal young American. If boys would follow in his footsteps there would be fewer désperadoes in our prisons. — Bud, Jack, Carl, and the rest of the rough riders are as full of — fun as one could wish, but at times can be aS serious as oné could wish. a ae -For some reason or other boys like a heroine in a story. No one could act this part better than Stella Fosdick. The teal boy does not like the foolish giggling girls who would scream He seeks his enemy. The hero then - “ROU GH RIDER WEEKLY. blue ude: if a mouse run under, their ch&irs. girl who can show her nerve in times of danger, but always re- main true and loyal to home. : Cutrrorp N, JENNINGS. of Our young friend has dice vered that the “Rough - Rider Ww eekly” has merits possessed by no other boys’ publication. (A letter from Connecticut.) eae been reading the “Rough Rider Weekly” for a few weeks, atid think it the finest, best, and most interesting weekly ever _ published. It made me feel as if I were there with Ted Strong fahtine the cattle-thieves and Indians. He is a gallant chap, so brave and daring. ., No wonder everybody likes the “Rough Rider Weekly.” It speaks for itself, and explains everything so plainly that even a child can read it. I think Stella is a very brave irl She takes after Ted. _ Just think how in number 128 she went out to meet Ted Strong, who was driving cattle to Fort Grant, and was lost three days and nights in the woods, and faced a big bear. Ted Strong _ came to the rescue in timie. I would like to see Ted marry Stella, Recs they are so noble and brave. I gave all my weeklies to my friends, and now they are con- i stant readers like myself. el congratulate Mr. Taylor upon his fine work. ; I am going to town to- ee to get another “Rough Rider _ {[Weekly.” : . Vv, Pauley: Ted hurried to the rescue of his girl pard when he heard that she was in danger. He would never rest under such circum- stances until he had saved Stella from the peril threatening her. : (A letter from Maine.) oo am going to tell you what I think about the “Rough Rider Weekly.’ It has fine covers, and the stories are very fascinating and in- "teresting. They do not have eight or ten pages of oes of Ted and his rough riders. _ They are all brave and good fighters, and they can shoot, too, _and when they get in a tight place they do not give up, but fight _ it out. I like them on account of that and lots of other things. The “Rough Rider Weekly” cent weeklies. —\ And I. think -Stella' is a brick for a girl, she can beat most - boys her age, and she is not afraid of anything. I intend to do all @ can to increase this weekly’s circulation. __ I have got three or four boys started reading it lately, and they think it is a great weekly. I should like to live on a ranch and be a ranchman and have a bronco to ride around on. co boy and head off cattle when there was a stampede, e ranchman’s life I should think is full of pleasure! and - fun mixed with work. I should think it would be fun to chase the outlaws and do things like the ranchmen, like those in the “Rough Rider Weekly,” py Mr. Ned Taylor. ALBERT SMITH. The ranchman’s is a fascinating life and appeals to all healthy ¥: / boys who like to be oardogts,. ( : (A letter A North Coeclialy _ I have been a reader of “Rough Rider Weekly” for nearly a year, and think it the best weekly of Western life published. It _ simply cannot be beaten, Street & Smith are to be congratulated for publishing such a fine weekly. I read “Rough Rider,” Tip Top, Buffalo Bill, and Might and Main. 1 like “Rough Rider” and Tip Top best. Ted Strong is all that a manly, courageous fellow could be. Next to him I like Bud Morgan; then comes Stella, who, as a girl pard, cannot be beaten. The reason I like the “Rough Rider Weekly” is that it is full of vim from start to finish. I save all my back numbers and lend them out to my friends. I have succeeded in getting three of them to read the : ey regularly, I will try to get more readers. a WILLicE Fow Ler. . Willie j is very fond ‘of reading, and finds that ie ee Rider Weekly” is just fe ae tok ie oe suits me the best of all other five- ze it ee ee ee take a seat in the corner of his range? “KATE'S RACE wiTH WOLV! “BY LIZZIE. ‘CAMPBELL, Of the many lovely counties in Ney Yorks none pr sent stronger points of attraction to the lover of the x turesque than the beautiful county of S “Masses of rock lay piled upon one atfother in such magnificent order, as if tossed there in the antediluvian revels of som of our gigantic first fathers. The roads wind broken : an uneven through every variety of hill and dale on one sid not unfrequently rising in some lofty mountain, wavi with clustering foliage and vocal with the song of bird: while on the other descends as abruptly a bristling reci ‘pice, the rugged horrors of its yawning gulf half-hidd beneath mantling rivers, and only. betraying its g ea _ depth by the faint musical tingle of the stream whic mo hides in its grim bosom. When Jacob Weir, a sturdy, Scotchman, with a large family, built a log cabin i in t region, in the very heart of the mighty. forest, and in stalled himself and said family therein, there were nc wanting some of his neighbors to hint that the act qu fied him for a strait-jacket and a straw couch in a‘ma man’s cell. Jacob only laughed the. croakers to scor sawing away all the time at the huge trees that hemmed. him in on every side with untiring energy and no sm success; and spite of prophecies, matters prospered with him. The crops and the towheads grew apace—the. ‘one bringing money into Jacob’s pocket, the other sunshine tc his dwelling, and as years went by he began to be spoken . of with due respect as a well-to-do and thriving ma Nowhere was a heartier’ welcome to be obtained th -at Jacob Weir’s. stranger, alike were sure of a seat at the. hospitable board Friend or acquaintance, or passin and warm nook in the chimney, none of your modern de- generate fireplaces, but a vast black gulf, yawning almos the length of the house, and piled up to the very top with huge logs of hickory and hemlock, that crackled and burned as though they enjoyed it. Ne © wonder hospitality is out of fashion now, for what man could ask another to It was in the early springtime of the year ae that our story commences, when Jacob and his family were gathered around the hearth, as was their wont, after their plain but abundant supper. Bright and strong blazed the fire, casting flickering shadows on the rough ceilings and rougher walls, flashing back from the well-scoured pewter on the dresser, lighting up the ruddy countenance of old Jacob, and the handsome ones of six tall, broad-shoul- dered, and strong-limbed sons, and finally throwing a whole halo of light around the spot where sat the torment and idol of the household, saucy, darling Kate, Jacob’s only daughter. She was of the. tallest height of woman, and her superb form, unshackled by the restraint of art, had all that elasticity ‘and subtle grace which nature alone can give. Her features were noble and regular in out- line, large, clear, and blue as the heavens; in shee, she was a handsome, frank, unsophisticated girl. - not what is termed accomplished, for she had never seen a piano, knew nothing of crochet-work, and could neither dance nor speak bad French. But she’ was a good shot, rode well on horseback, and was as swift on foot as a camilla herself, i ami not mS to ee either th pole ROUGH RIDER MEER ee ad what hidies call good taste in ee es it uld be difficult to find a more charming figure than she sented in her gray homespun dress, and neat little col- , OF, at least, so thought Alick Harden, on the eventful vening of which we are writing. Said Alick was a gay ung student from college, who came to spend his vaca- is in hunting in this wild region among the mountains, had nearly finished it by serving a lunch for a huge ther, when he was fortunately rescued by two of Ja- )b’s sons. The wounds he received were but slight, and he quickly ecovered under Kate’s careful nursing; but he still lin- ed unaccountably, though he manifested no disposition to accompany the boys on their various excursions, seem- ing to derive a vast amount of amusement in watching Kate as she went about her household duties. ‘his practise was speedily productive of the most dis- astrous results, for, in the course of two weeks, Kate hree times put buttermilk in the churn, twice burned the ead to a cinder, and finally set all their teeth on edge by the production of lemon pie without a particle of sugar egardless of all these melancholy events, the ada ious Alick still persisted in this unaccountable course of mduct, and had made himself quite obnoxious to Kate that evening by so doing, that she was continually blush- ing from sheer indignation, and it was a great relief when her father bade her get out the porringer and the pud- ding, as he was right down hungry. | oing to the dresser, Kate uncovered a mighty earthen dish, filled with delectable golden substance, which she forthwith served out with due care and deliberation into nine bright porringers, and then proceeded to drown it in a flood of yellow cream. This done, the fire was to e raked down and the porringers placed on the coals; and here that luckless Alick, prompted by his evil genius, ttempting to assist her, it so happened that their hands: ot mysteriously entangled, and Alick more ingeniously ntrived to upset the porringer into the fire. eo Halha!l ha!” roared the brethren in chorus, as Alick and Kate sprang to their feet in dismay. And “ha! ha!? toared old: Jacob, even in his gravity being unable to wil hstand the eos frightened expression of the cul- s face. ap ¢ Tt | is too bad!” said Kate, greatly provoked; ' ‘men are al ays so stupid and awkward.” - “Ha! ha!” burst out Dan, the eldest of the six, “Kate’ S fingers are all thumbs lately. r “Her wits are going @ wool gathering, or, rather, a wer gathering,” chimed in another, “ever since Joe, the ‘miller’s handsome son, brought the last load of flour’ to | Rihe house; and it took him and Kate all the afternoon to ut six bags i in the buttery.” : “Kate. wants a little maple-sugar to sweeten her ‘tem- er,’ said Dan. “Pity it is so early in the ake . “It’s plain you didn’t need any of the sap,” Bee, “when you left the dipper down in the bush to- “T can’t*say how that is,” answered Dan; “but, with all ur pluck, you dar’n’t go and fetch it.” - “I dare, and I will!” answered Kate, now. thoroughly roused. Why, Kate, you are crazy!” said her father "1s more than a quarter of a mile from here; and the wolves ling more than tncommon to- -night, 2 retorted. “] don’t care,” answered Kate. “Go I will; and ‘brags % back the dipper, too; and then we will see who has the most pluck.” In spite of the remonstrances of her father, and the en- treaties of the horror-stricken Alick to be permitted at least to accompany her, the headstrong girl persisted in going, and putting on her shawl, she hurried down the garden-path, and was quickly dst to sight in the forest. It was a chilly evening, and the halo that encircled the moon, and the driving clouds that not unfrequently ob- scured her, told of a coming storm. A light snow had whitened the ground, relieved here and there occasionally — by black patches of mud; and, as. it, cracked under her feet, Kate would involuntarily look hastily around, fancy- — ing she heard the tread of some wild animal. In the ghastly light, the trees seemed to stick up to a greater height, and their gnarled branches took strange, fan- tastic shapes. Dark clumps of bushes seemed, to her dis- turbed imagination, crouching figures, ready to spring: upon her; and not unfrequently she paused, and held her breath, thinking she saw the glare of eyeballs in the thicket, or heard the sound of stealthy breathing close be- _ : : side her. Then, chiding herself for her weakness, she would hurry on, till at length the tall, slender poles of the maple-trees defined themselves against the sky, and, seiz- — ing the dipper with a sigh of relief, she turned on her homeward path. She might have advanced ten steps, when her heart gave a bound that seemed to send it to her throat, and then almost ceased to béat, as she stood — listening with such intensity that her very breathing seemed suspended. Was that the wind moaning through - : the branches? Nearer and nearer it came, the long, low, melancholy sound, and then she knew she had to run for her life, for she had recognized the howl of the wolves, and she was sure that they were already on her track. — Kate was a courageous girl, and swift-footed as an ‘\ antelope, but when the yelling pack burst upon her from» the bushes into view, and, glancing over her shoulders as she ran, she saw them bounding after her, their heads out-_ stretched, their red tongues lolling from their open mouths, snapping, growling, and leaping madly into the. air, thirsting and raging for her blood, a sickening terror took possession of her. Should her limbs fail her, even — for an instant, should she stumble or fall, she would in- evitably be dragged down and torn to pieces by these ravenous monsters. Horrible; to have her flesh rent from her bones, and nothing left but a bleaching skeleton to — tell her sad fate! On they came, close to her heels, almost catching and rending her dress as it flew out in their grinding teeth, their yelling, savage voices ever sounding nearer and nearer. Now out of the forest and — down the garden-path, but her limbs were flagging, and | closer and closer came the hurried, panting breaths. She reached the garden-gate; the house was close before her ; but at her shoulder leaped and howled the foremost of ©. the pack, his hot breath on her cheeks, and his low growl sounding in her very ears, when suddenly out rushed seven stalwart figures, shouting’ and waving flaming — brands around their heads as they came. ing girl was conducted, or, rather, borne, into the cabin. She soon recovered from the more immediate effects of her fright; but, to her dying day, she could never speak» without a shudder of her “moonlight race with the — wolves.” . | ; eee Panic-stricken, the wolves scoured back to the forest, and the half-faint- — A\GOLD MINE FOR. OUR BOYS! Second Grand Letter Competition Weekly in response to our first offer of gold dollars, that the Committee awarding the twenty leading prizes had considerable difficulty in carrying out their work; which, how- ever, was finally done, the names printed, and the rewards sent forward. From time to time we shall print in our Chat Columns all these letters: entering into the competition. And we also hope that every one who participated in the first contest will decide to take advantage of our second great offer. Tell us what, in your mind, a cracking good story of RANCH AND RANGE LIFE should be, and whether these stories by Mr. Ned Taylor fill the bill. We believe they stand in a class by themselves; and from many a Westem cattle State we daily receive letters full of praise and enthusiasm for the work of OUR COWBOY AUTHOR which letters are written by those entirely familiar with life on the prairie ranches, and who would laugh to scorn stories by an author whom they knew never could have ridden a bucking bronco. Make up your mind to try for these golden prizes nght away. Even if you fail to secure one of the twenty leading prizes, we expect to send a splendid consolation offering to every one who competes. Let us know in what way these tales of the Wild West appeal to you, and what you have done to influence your boy pards to read them regularly. W* received so many hundreds of really excellent letters from readers of the Rough Rider q The competition is open from April 1 until October 1, 1907, when the prizes will be awarded, A full name and address of every winner being published in the Rough Rider Weekly. | $10 in Gold for the Best Letter. i $5 in Gold for Each of the Three Next Best Letters. $2.50 in Gold for Each of the Six Next Best Letters. | $1 in Gold for Each of the Ten Next Best Letters. | q The letters should not be longer than 250 words and should be plainly addressed to “Manager of Rough Rider Letter Competition,” care of Street & Smith. Now, boys, jump in and resolve to win a cash prize. STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, NEW YORK THE ROUGH ID K WEEKLY ISSUED EVERY MONDAY. HANDSOME COLORED COVER Ted Strong wants to make your acquaintance, boys, and we are convinced that you will be proud to have him as a friend. The tales of his adventures among the cowboys are full of fascinating interest. and he upholds the title. PRICE FIVE CENTS PER COPY For sale by all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receipt of price In money or postage stamps He is known to every one as “King of the Wild West HERE ARE THE LATEST TITLES: 149—King of the Wild West’s Snow Camp; or, Stella Lost in the Wilderness. tso—King of the Wild West’s Great Wolf-hunt; or, _ Stella Conquers “White Fang.” 151—King of the Wild West at the Lone Tree; or Stella Finds the Mother Lode. 152—King of the Wild West’s Fighting-machine; or, Stella On the Blazed Trail. 153—King of the Wild West’s Message from Afar; or Stella’s White-winged Couriers. 154—King of the. Wild West Water-bound; or, Stella’s Wild Night On the Cimmaron. 155—King of the Wild West’s Test of Honor; or, Stella in Bondage. 156—King of the Wild West’s ions Dry Drive; or, Stella on the Staked Plains. 157—King of the Wild West’s Stolen Pinto Pony; or, Stella’s Night of Terror. 158—King of the Wild West’s Shadow on the Wall; Stella and the “Masked Men.” ™59—King of the Wild West’s Bronco Ball Tossers; or, Stella Bluffs the Umpire. 160—King of the Wild West’s Still Hunt; or, Stella in - the Stampede. 161—King of the Wild West’s Saddle Pard; or, How Stella Proved Game. 162—King of the Wild West and the Claim Jumpers; or, Stella’s Great Balloon Voyage. 163—King of the Wild West and the Timber Cruiser; or, How Stella Stormed the Lumber Camp. 164—King ‘of the Wild West’s Great Throw; or, Stella Among the Sioux Ball Players. 165—King of the Wild West’s Unique Ball Team; or, Stella on the Coach Line. 166—King of the Wild West’s Enchanted Ball; or, Stella Umpires a Great Game. 167—King of the Wild West’s Fatal In-shoot; or, Stella Gives Fair Warning. 168—King of the Wild West’s Desert Trail; or, Stella’s Fight for the Hoard of the Cocopahs. 169—King of. the Wild West’s Blacksnake Brand; or, Stella at Bay in the Old Mining Camp. 170—King of the Wild West’s Cattle War; or, Stella’s Bout with the Rival Ranchers. 171—King of the Wild West’s Automatic “Bronk”; or, Stella’s Play te: Win. 172—King of the Wild West’s Winged Witch; or, Stella in a New Role. 173—King of.the Wild West and the Cattle Raiders; or, How Stella Came Home. 174—King of the Wild West’s Great Round-up; or, The Part Stella Played. IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS of this weekly and cannot procure them from newsdealers, they can be obtained from this office direct. Cut out and fill in the following order blank and cot it to us with the price of the numbers you want and we will send them to you by return mail. POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79 Seventh Avenue. New York City. Dosocenoces cegue 4 cmecea Ques bemines Sse s ane aeimeceane 190 Gentlemen:—Enclosed find............- Lee ee cents for which please send me: ROUGH RIDER WEEKLY Nos...--......-....-2-2...--.- veiw od cecec deeds cues Secs OSIRIS ee eck See eS ee eee es eae ce ee renee eee ee IN ARTIOS ee cee Street-and No. 082.) yee ea a Tow oe eee Staten kk ee