Redskin and Cow-Boy

told upon him. His outbursts of ill-temper were therefore more frequent than they had been the last holidays Hugh had spent at home. He sat much longer in

y, and whatever he felt he learned to hold his tongue; but he came more and more to dislike his uncle, especially as he saw that when angry he would turn upon his aunt and speak viole

es in the country. Even in winter he was often away in London, to Hugh's great satisfaction, for when he was at home there were frequent quarrels between them, and Hugh could see that his uncle hab

ll exercises he best loved riding. His pony had been given up, but there were plenty of horses in the stables

le, James?" Hugh asked one day

your uncle seems to delight in buying creatures that no one else will ride. Of course he gets them cheap. He doesn't care how wicked they are, and he seems to enjoy it when they begin their pranks with him. I thought at first he would get his brains dashed out to a certainty

grow there on purpose for the last two years, and no horse will try to take them. The ground is pretty soft and you will fall light. You have been getting on with your riding the last three years, and have had some p

, for these had gradually taken the place of his father's steady hunters; but this year he found that the coachman's opinion of those now under his charge was by no means exaggerated. In spite of doing his best to keep his seat, he had ma

every day I shall really have got a good seat, and you know it is a lot better my getting chucked off now than if

efore, and that a fall on the soft ground of the meadow was not likely to be very serious, but it was only on his giving her his solemn promise that he would not on any account go beyond the meadow that she fi

. Of course it is not so important here, still a man who is a really good rider has many advantages. In the first place, all gentlemen here hunt, and a man who can go across any country, and can keep his place in the front rank, has much honour among his neighbours; in the second place, he is enabled to get his horses che

of an exclamation of dissent from his aunt. When he had l

r? Just attend to your own busines

it is nothing to me; when it is spent I am ready to go back to our old life, but I won't have the boy hurt. I have always accepted your story as to how you became possessed of the papers without question. I know you have killed a score of men in what you call fair fight, but I did not know that you were a murderer in cold blood. Anyhow the boy sha'n't be hurt. I believe you bought those horses

th fury, and advance

he asked between his

ver had for me has died out long ago, but I hold to my life. I have placed in safe hands-never mind where I have placed it-a paper telling all the truth. It is to be opened if I die suddenly and without sending for it. In it I say that if my death is said to have been caused by an accident, it would be no accident

revolt. Half an hour later his dog-cart was at the door and he left for London. Hugh was astonished

at home all the holidays, and he said that

you ever travel I daresay you will find it very useful to be able to use a pistol cleverly. There are two or three revolvers upstairs and plenty of ammunition, so if you like we will practise in the conservatory; it is too cold to go out. You had better go and as

ce a week. He found at first that the sharp recoil of the revolver rendered it very difficult for him to shoot straight, but in time he became accustomed to this, and at the end of a fortnight could put every shot in or close to

een it done scores of times, but it will take you some time to get to that. You must remember that there is very seldom time to take a steady deliberate aim as you do. When a man shoots he has got to shoot quickly. Now, practise standing with your face the other way, and then turn and fire the

till I should like to be able to shoot like that, for

SHOOTING WITH

d not do this at first, for the wrench of the recoil strained his wrist, but this gained strength as he went on. Before he went back to school he h

en over to Carlisle, and, somewhat to the surprise

not know anything about English l

y, my dea

hands of a lawyer, could he retain possession of it for

is a point upon which I am not prepared at present to give an answer. But anyhow there are ways of evading the law; for instance, he could pass it on to a third party, and then, unless the husband had been absolutely informed by

r here. I have not signed it yet, because I believe it i

stall; but in all cases it is a prudent step, for

witnesses of the signature to r

ey simply witnes

uest, not by letter, but by word of mouth, that it should be returned to me. I know of no one else to whom I could commit the paper, whic

n my hands, or rather in the hands of our firm-for we may sincerely trust that there would be no occasion for opening it until very many years af

at, Mr. R

awyer said: "Will you be going up

nth or so I shall be passin

atter keep

the packet placed in safe hands, where it would be opened

old established firm of the highest respectability, and the document will be perfectly safe in their hands un

letter, which stated that she was the wife of one of his clients, a gentleman of means, she was courteously received, and they at once agreed to take charge of any document she might pla

power to carry out your wishes as expressed in this document, whatever it may be. It i

will probably not regret having undertaken its charge, for I can assure you that it may

r would inform us. Of course

added, "it is of the utmost importance that the pape

eives the news. But, pardon me, you look well and healthy, and are young t

nt reasons I wish to be prepared for it at all points. I will now sign i

gnature. It may be many years before any question as to the authe

itten on sixteen pages of foolscap

, if you will put a sheet of brown paper over the other sheets, and place your initials on the margin at the bottom, we will put ours, so that no question can arise as to the wh

, s

Tunstall; any common thing, with a bird or a motto or anything else upon it. These things are not cut in duplicate, therefore if you seal the envelope in two or three places with it and take the seal away with you, it will be a guarantee to you, should you ever require it t

ture, satisfied that she had left the document in safe hands. Mr.

perty in her own right, and does not mean to leave it to her husband, and

be. I should say she was a foreigner-a Spaniard or Italian; she spoke with

, Curtice. She may have gone into a whole history a

hat woman was no fool, and there is no doubt about her being thoroughly in earnest. She said it was likely to give us some work when it was op

ed to them, Mr. Curtice was more convinced than before that the delivery of this packet into his charge was not a mere freak, and o

orethought, when, a year after Mrs. Tunstal

. "I wish you would let me have a couple

l. You have already had

settle. By the way," he said carelessly, as he placed the bank-notes in his pocket-book

st be some mistake. Mrs. Tunstall has cer

aying; but it was something about a letter, and she mentioned your name; there were half a dozen commissions she wanted me to execute for her in Lon

n't believe he has been at home two months this year. Besides, he sounded me last time he was here about raising a few thousands on a mortgage. He is not turning out well. I thought when he first came back that his wanderings had done him no harm. No doubt I had been prepossessed in his favour by his refusal to accept Edgar's offers to divide the rents with him, but I was too hasty. I am afraid there will be trouble at Byrneside.

ome for the summer holidays. His aunt seeme

ncle home soon?" he

ct him," she

y so, leaving you all by yoursel

ole, I think perhaps he is better away than here while you

am sure I don't

accustomed to his being away from me a good deal ever since we married, and it does not trouble me at all. I would much rather have you all to myself. Your being here makes it a v

is uncle was away, for he heard from Wilson that when Mr. Tunstall

ate they have held off a bit. I hear it said they don't hold to a gentleman spending all his life on the race-courses and leaving his wife by herself. Your aunt is well liked, and would be better liked if she would only go abroad and visit; but she never drives out u

teen now, and I mean when I do come of age and am my own master to

ant to be running off to foreign parts is more than I can make out. An

t I suppose that is a thing no one can settle about until their time comes. At any

and call, and make herself sociable like, nor see to the charities down in the village. It ain't as she doesn't give money, because I know that whenever the rector says there is a case wants help she is ready eno

im, talked to him about his life at school, asked whether he wished to go to the university when he left; and when Hugh said that he didn't see any use in spending three years of

rse you will want a year to do Europe; after that strike out a line of your own. If I had my time over again I would go

at his aunt for confirmation, he was surprised to see her watching her hu

A POKER, SPRAN

to be said both ways. But I don't think we need settle it no

He paused for a moment. He could not catch the words, for they were spoken in Mexican. There was silence for a moment, and he imagined that his aunt was answering. Then he heard

ackwards. Mad with passion, Hugh rushed to the fender, and seizing a poker, sprang at his uncle. William Tunstall's hand went behind him, and as Hugh struck, he levelled a pistol. But he was too late. The blow came down heavily, and the pistol exploded in the air; as the man fell back his head came with terrible force against the edge of a cabinet, and he lay immovable. Hugh's passion was sti

at Byrneside were so accustomed to the sound of pistol shots that they paid no attention to it. Hugh picked up the weapon that had dropped from his uncle's hand and put it in his pocket; then glanced at his aunt and hesitated. "She will come round in time," he muttered, "and I can do nothing for her." Then he