The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

732 see you’re some cut up over losing out with them horses, and I’m going to hunt up that friend of mine and see if I can’t do some- thin’ to try and straighten the trouble out.” On East, the first question to arise in Tom’s mind would have been: And where_ do you come in? But since he had been out West he had found every one so ready to go out of the way to do him a favor that he had almost forgotten the habit of sus- picion. “Before I pitch in, though,” the philan- thropist continued, “I’d have to know just how much of a bankroll you’ve got, ’cause my friend is that kind of a feller. He does business right off the reel, or not at all.” Tom hesitated not a second. His one chance to snatch victory out of the defeat which had overtaken him seemed to be through the good offices of this chance ac- quaintance. The fellow’s unsavory appear- ance, he told himself, should not count against him; some of the most responsible and capable men he had met out here had shown up to very little better advantage. “T’ve got thirty thousand dollars,” he therefore answered without a pause. The cattleman wrinkled his brow a trifle dubiously. “And how many horses was you expectin’ to buy with that wad of change?” he in- quired. “About four hundred, eh? You're sure you couldn’t sweeten that roll none?” “Not a cent,” Tom assured him humbly. “Thirty thousand is absolutely my limit.” The other considered, meditatively cock- ing his single eye off toward the horizon. “Well, I'll see what can be did,” he finally promised. “Mebbe [ can persuade Jack to do it as a personal favor to me. But it’ll have to be a cash deal, mind you. He’s awful particular that way.” “T’ll tell you,” he suggested, “you go on up to Santa Fe and draw your money— better get it in five-hundred-dollar bills— and meet me here to-morrow. Meantime, I'll see Jack, and if everything’s all right I'll bring the two of you together. But don’t say a word to a livin’ soul, or else it’s liahle to get back to him, and kill the whole deal.” So Tom, with hope once more rekindled, hurried off to Santa Fe, and having sedu- lously obeyed instructions, was back the next day at the rendezvous, impatiently awaiting his intermediary. The latter shortly appeared, and hav- ing been assured that the money was on THE ARGOSY. hand, enthusiastically announced that his friend had been induced to consent to the bargain. ‘You'll have to go out on the range to close with him, though,” the one-eyed man advised. “He’s turruble busy just now, and he couldn’t no ways fix it to come in for no such little chickenfeed deal like this.” 3 Tom, overjoyed at the favorable report, was in no mood to raise objection to any- thing, and accordingly the two set out. They journeyed by rail to a point well down toward the Mexican border, and then taking horse, rode out a considerable dis- tance across the range. By nightfall.they came to a little thicket not more than: five or six miles from the river, and here after an amount of recon- noitering, which seemed to Tom wholly unnecessary, the cattleman ordered a halt. “We'll lay up here, and wait for Jack to come along,” he said. ‘‘He’s liable to show up most any time now.” As a matter of fact it was well on toward two o’clock before the thudding of hoofs announced the approach of the friend with his cavalcade. He was a villainous looking Mexican, so evil in appearance that by comparison the one-eyed cattleman might have stood for an angel of light. Still, there seemed nothing to question in the situation. The horses were all there—- a full four hundred of them—and although they were sweating and looked hard-driven, they were evidently of the class acceptably to fill the British order. : Tom, after giving them an inspection, un- hesitatingly paid over the purchase price, and the Mexican having agreed to loan him the use of a couple of his men to help get the stock down to El Paso, the party re- tired to their blankets for the remainder of the night. With the long strain of doubt and anx- iety removed from his shoulders, and after the fatigues of the day, Tom naturally slept soundly. When he awoke, the sun was high in the heavens and the picketed and roped horses were grazing at a little distance; but not a sign of his late compan- ions was anywhere to be seen. The cattle- man, the Mexican, and the silent fellows who had accompanied the latter were all gone. Blinking and staring, Tom struggled up on one shoulder trying to understand the reason for this desertion, when his ear COPMICLOOOKS (©)