The Sheriff of Badger

"Quit crowding there, will you?" "Say, are you looking for troub

anation again. Then he said, slowly scanning the faces around him-"Mr. Coroner,

onfusion. Thomas was relea

sheriff told him. "Bob, give him thirty da

nce of spite, but Jeff exhibited no resentment and left for the county town in

ent and babbled questions wherever he moved. They would cling to his arm in their eagerness,

ok us through the Willows, which we threaded at dusk. We were passing

," he

es, plain to the sight. She was black and stark, bare

e mountain village, "you done heard that shootin

us all my facul

t shot-that must

hose it was,"

, because it might have been one, sort of drawn out. But I was watching Jeff's

ow did i

to her-sharper than a six-shooter-and

at was the 30-30. It just beat Jeff to the ma

ed lamely. "Nobody would

bring back the feller who shot Bud, to-night or to-morrow. He was hiding in that dark hall back of Thomas, just waiting for a chan

know where

d in that passage to find out who did. Sure enough, a feller had braced himself wit

pleased as a boy wit

ent sneaking along the hall, a-feeling his way so as not to make a noise, he stuck his hand into it. Then he leaned with that hand bracing him, while he waited for Bud. Do you get that

d. We put up at Kelley's place in the Kingdom, and the sheriff had a few

off just after supper. But he'll be here in the morning

a talk, that's all. D

ectors, one was a cowboy, and a miner sat next him. Opposite me was a long, lank, youthful-appearing man, who

criticism. That might hurt his feelings and the sensibilities of the other diners. No; instead, one glances good-naturedly about

although it is true that the gentleman's table manners were offensive. Then he leaned t

at manner of man we had to deal with. Because, when a man of pluck receives a blow that hurts, he first looks seri

world by the tail with a

you, anyhow, Slim. You're under arr

" the other

riff of

rry. I'll go alon

n Badger. Slim Terry faced it. A greenish pallor showed near his

d you shoot

es

us abo

is forehead and down to his chin,

ashion. I ain't been in this town for six months till the day of the shooting. Yes, I was scare

"Who sent

ge of town until dark, and then I sneaked up back of the Fashion. Nobody seen me. Somebody'd told me Bud Walton would likel

old yo

here. I didn't know he was the sheriff then. By and by a boy come in and the sheriff went out. Then all at once Bud Walton run in at the door and pulled a gun. And then I let him have it. I plugged him square. Couldn't miss at that d

with scant sympathy. Their disapproval was obvious. Ev

son, Terry, for shooting th

ould kill me some day, the same as he'd done to a l

g, judge," cried a tre

r hair was disordered and hung in lank wisps about her face, but she gave no thought to that. With her red arms bare to the elbow, a