Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

THE GREAT AND THE SMALL. Half reluctantly, the man arose and showed Dillon to a stall. While arranging it for his horse the rider asked: “ What horse was leading when they came through here?” “ Four of em was together. A big bay they call Pathfinder, a cavalry runner from Fort Lincoln, an iron-gray mare from some- where in Utah and Laramie Jones on a little roan.” “So Jones is up with the leaders,” Dillon remarked, his tone showing that he was pleased. ‘‘ How’s the little horse holding out?” “ Fine. I figured him “bout the freshest o’ the lot when I looked em over. Laramie sure knows how to handle a horse.” Dillon agreed to that readily enough, then inquired the best place to stop for the night. A restaurant up the street kept a few fur- nished rooms upstairs, and after glancing over the place, Dillon decided to remain there overnight. Fort Custer is one of the most historic spots in Wyoming, and when he had eaten a hearty meal in the restaurant, Dillon took a walk through the little town. The people, for the most part, are true Westerners, in their manners and dress, typical of the cattle country in which they live. . Dillon found most of them keenly interested in the great race. ° The proprietor of a cigar store pointed out the ruins of the barracks that had once sheltered troopers when they were not en- gaged in waging war against the hostile Utes and Cheyennes. By the time Dillon had looked the ruins over, it was growing dark. Riding all day on horseback, even with a horse that rides easily, is tiresome. Dillon had no difficulty in falling asleep almost as soon as he touched the bed. He awoke at four o’clock, and by the time the sun rose was on his way. Two other horses had reached the fort during the night, but neither animal had rested sufficiently to start early that morning. ___ Dillon walked Sagamore for the first mile, bog the chance that his leg muscles might have become stiffened a bit from the hard _ Wide of the day before. The horse seemed livelier | age at the bit to be . - " ~~“ . a 7 Co ee condition, Dillon let him run. he jong stride of the stallion, even when held t ack a trifle, clipped off the miles. pig F ing Stranger, the big horse passed the cav- alry runner, a fine, well-trained animal, and © later caught up with the iron-gray mare. The two riders stabled their horses at the same place and went to a hotel together for lunch. At the hotel they learned that — Pathfinder and the little roan, still holding — their fast pace, had passed through the town two hours earlier. ‘‘ Pathfinder’s showing better than I ex- pected,” the other rider said to Dillon, “TI had heard that he wasn’t good for more than one day’s running at fast speed, but he must be gamer than I thought.” ‘“ How about Jones’s horse?” ‘Game to the core,” was the quick re- ply. “ Endurance isn’t so remarkable in a good mustang because most of them have it, but that little devil has speed and staying power, too. I’ve seen him race before, sol — know what he can do.” The gray mare had shown plenty of speed while coming into Stranger, so Dillon made No objection to taking the road with hex after lunch. He could have got more speed from Sagamore had he wished to push the big horse, but the mare stuck to the pace — so gamely that he realized that both horses could easily reach Rock Cliffs before night. In the late afternoon they rode into White — River, stopping only to allow their horses to drink. It was twilight when they reached _ Rock Cliffs, where they intended to remain — overnight. They learned that the two : horses ahead of them had pushed on toward — Red Bluffs, twenty-five miles farther pre! The rider of the gray, by one of those — tricks of Fate, was the victim of a bad at- tack of indigestion during the night, t ; Dillon did not learn of this = morning. A physician had called, so, after wishing his late ¢ a speedy recovery, Dillon sa more and began the pelts ric that for the remainder of the and minute might oomnt, over. ; in reached the little t learned esc “- <—" on PE as FF : a dticcis. com