The Rangeland Avenger

ter that. Sandersen and

rting of the ways Low

der

hell coming out of it, it'll fall chiefly on you

n at Four Pines, and there he told the story on which he and Sandersen and Quade had agreed. Four Pines would spread that tale by telegraph, and Riley Sinclair would

verification. He replied as smoothly as he could. Hal Sinclair had broken his leg in a fall from his horse, and they had bound it up as well as they could. They had tied him

deadly stories than this connected with the desert. Bu

up. He was fond of Hal, you know, and he takes th

truth," protested

st make yourself scarc

on going, P

ck for a day or so. But, speaking personal, I'd rather step into

e repute of Riley Sinclair, and he knew the man to be even worse than reputatio

e he would start early in the dawn and strike out for far trails. The thought had hardly come to him when he dismissed it. A flight would call down

washstand and bathed his hot face. He was dr

in?" asked a

rmative, and a youngste

re Lo

ep

tairs wants you to c

is

from Conway. I can point hi

stood Riley Sinclair, tall, easy, formidable. The sight of Sinclair filled Lowrie with dismay. P

running along that side of the building. By the roof of it he could have got to the ground unseen. Now he remembered that it had been torn down the year before; there was a

yes of Sinclair had not looked into the story of Hal's broken leg and seen a lie. Besides, the invitation through a messenger seemed a h

e would have no chance. Once he had seen Sinclair in action in Lew Murphy's old saloon, had seen Red Jordan get th

f his lie? No, he knew his color would pale if he faced Sinclair. Suppose

nclair had disappeared. Lowrie's knees buckled under his weight. He went over t

impatient. The fever to kill was burning in the big man. Then Lowrie heard

n a frenzy. He would shoot when the door opened, without waiting

zily from side to side, up and down. He clutched the b

destroy all chance of shooting accurately? His own prophecy, made over the dead body of Hal Sinclair, that all three of them would see th

and yon, a thousand miles and back. What if his nerve failed him at the last moment? What if he buck

weariness of the long trail-

heavily on the floor outside his door. There was a heavy tapping on the door itself. For an instant the

y were extraneous matter. He dropped the revolver on the bed and pressed both hands again

thunder-"

" said Lowrie faintly and huskily. "Get Riley