The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 46: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

44 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE, Bill Creighton, and had scarcely finished when Ryan fell into a brown study. ‘What are you thinking of?”’ asked the detective. ‘“Why, jest sich a chap as ye picter hez been at Fort Hays all winter. Hez Bill Creighton got a sear onto his mug’? ‘“‘He has indeed—one particularly livid. It is upon his forehead over his left eye.”’ “Great gosh! it’s the same feller. Fire an’ brim- stun’, but thet rooster hez got cheek! Let’s hurry up, and we may ketch him yet. He was thar’ when I left, three days ago.”’ The two friends pressed ahead, and arrived at the door of old Doc Harper’s cabin just in time to hear Esther’s last sentences, as described in a previous chapter. As the deep bass tones of the scout fell upon the ears of those assembled within the hut, all turned to see the speaker, who was recognized at once, and in- vited to enter. Nothing loth he walked through the door-way, followed by Dan and Vixen. The detective was introduced at once as an old friend and former partner of Ryan’s, under the title he had previously assumed. The conversation became general, Dan talking in an animated way, falling back again into the dia- lect he had picked up uring his brief stay in Kan- sas City. The wound in his scalp was explained by a story © to the effect that he had received it in an encounter with a buffalo which he had wounded. Such mat- ters were of frequent occurrence, and he was readily believed. After some further conversation about Persimmon Bill, during which Dan professed ignorance of the comicbooks