Crooked Trails and Straight

me the town was settling itself to supper. At the intersection of Main and La Junta streets the cloud was churned to a greater volume and d

rd with a whoop to turn the lead horses it rang in his voice, announced itself in his carriage, was apparent in the modeling of his slim, hard body. Under other conditions he might have been a college freshman for age, but the competent

llowed Curly into the enclosure. Upon them, too, the desert had sifted its white coat. The stained withers of the animals they rode

eal first off," he

f the party. He was a tough-looking customer of nearly fifty. From out of his leathery sun-and-wind beaten face, hard e

arled the fourth. "Are you aimi

nswered. "Curly, want to ride up to the hotel and ask if

rdered the previous speaker sulkily. Lute Blackwell, a squat heavily muscled man of forty

oyish face moved, but in the voice one might have guessed an am

y street toward the hotel. Blackwe

on the spot so's we could unload on him prompt," he g

oon as you hit town," Cranston retorted coolly. "Ke

from the stable and glanced over t

some," he sugges

of a man named Warre

he was looking for a party with stock to se

from Blackwell and drained it. "I reckon th

d the keeper of the corral, his eyes on the bra

ep

volunteer any information, though on the other hand he did not

hitting the road at

onc's chafed from the saddle.

e stable and the redheaded cowpuncher win

was a hard one, but it did not take long to come to terms at about one-third the value of the string he was purchasing. Very likely he had his suspicions, but he did not voice them. No doubt they cut a figure in t

ame out from the stable. Flandrau forgot that there were reasons why he wanted just

, Slats

! How are thi

w in to Saguache? Ain't

larks. Their ways had suited each other and they had been a good deal more tha

the Fiddleback outfit," Davis explained. "Didn't expect to bump

. What did Slats know? Had he been in the stable while the remuda was still in the cor

he Map of Texas," Fla

go feed our faces," Mac

still with the Hashk

've been raised to

t, Mac. I'm coming. That's sure great,

old days they had told each other everything, had talked things out together before many a cam

y Warren had paid for the horses. None of them had slept for th

the trail and do our sleeping in the hills. There's

out like we were scared stiff of something. What we want to do is to act as if

new anything about it. I'm going to

'll stay. Then everybody'll be satisfie

. We don't all want to pull a blue streak. That would

on us if they're nabbe

'll be enough along that line, Lute. I

look in his eyes. He was always ready to quarrel, but he did not like to fight unles

led. "But I don't like this sticking around

sted promptly. "Mac and I have got a different no

n through the open window before their eyes opened. Somebody was pounding on the bedroom door, which probably

f bed when his partne

's up

ement. His six-gun was in his hand. By the look of h

Curly sang out "It's the hotel

rk after all. Through the do

y? For God's sa

ame in and shut it behind him. He looked at Mac, the forty

said, breathing fast a

ed Curly b

M boys. They jus

thes immediate," ordered Curly. Then to Davis

e down at the Legal Tender. The other memb

nce to make our ge

to the alley, and across lots to the corral. We'll l

a necktie party you'll get

riend that he would not joke with a horse thief. For the sake of old times he would

t now he had crossed the line that separates decent folks from outlaws. He had been excited with liquor when he joined in this fool enterprise

clothes. But as Curly passed out of the door he called b

eak, but the chill look on his face to

reakfast, and out into the bright sunlight. Before they cut across to the corral their eyes searched for

're gentlemen of leisure, just out for an am

that they could not wait to feed their bronchos. So they stuck it out while the animals ate, though they were about as contented as a two-pound rainbow trout on a hook

" Curly called

le M. He let out a shout as he caught sight of them and began to r

between them. Another struck the dust at their heels. Faintly there came to the f

ntry lay before them. It did not greatly matter which direc

country filled with absentees

drunken spree into a crime. Once or twice they came to the edge of a quarrel, for Mac was ready to lay th

etched in front of it trying to make a smoke serve instead of supper. Mac broke a

alking papers I reckon.

t glance at him.

n sure. Why shouldn't she? I tell you I've ruined

and showed it to his friend. The sweet cle

ng lady. I'll bet she stands by y

ollars." Mac swallowed hard. "And I had to figure out this short cut to the money whilst I was drun

at it. The indisputable facts were that Mac was an outlaw an

'll not look at me-even if they don't send me to the pen." In a moment he added huskily,

r the horses. His partner understood well enough what was the matter. The redheaded punc

e asleep when Mac retur

or the time they forgot their troubles. Neither of them knew that