The Helpers

ht, he would keep enough of his wardrobe to enable him to present an outward appearance of respectability. With a vague premonit

ments he stood in, and these soon became shabby and wayworn. Since, in his own estimation, if not in that of others, the clothes do make the man to a very considerable extent, Jeffard gradually withdr

to find Jeffard. Meeting Lansdale when the search had become unhopeful, the larg

last?" he inquired of t

, it was a week Tuesday. I remember b

the range-good pay, and little or nothing to do-and he's got to go and drop ou

ld have gone with you

neck and make him go; savez? How do you put it up? Run

rs of us,-and just now the negative part is on top. He was pretty low the night we were t

ing the drop on himself

mpression that he was in any immed

ctively. "Hasn't taken to quizzing the wo

Thus far, I think he

don't know but I was the ring-master in that show. You know we chased around a good deal together, alon

"When you get hold of a stranger, you welcome him with open arms-and proceed to regale him with a near-hand view of the back

what we do. But you've been here long enough now to know that it's meant for hospitality. It's a way we've g

in a strange city doesn't often go about presenting his social credentials. What he does is to make a few haphazard acquaintances, and let them set the pace for him. That is what Jeffard did, and I'll venture to sa

e all miserable sinners, and I'm the medicine-man of the tribe. I never asked

that is neither here nor there. I'll find him for you

square with you some day. By the way, can't you come up to St

o diplomat. When I go a-fishing into your mentality you'll never see th

nst irony of whatsoever calibre, actually did so that e

us, Mr. Bartrow," objected Miss Van

ng innocently from one to the other of them. "Bu

od for any use, Dick. He was making game

; and the two young wo

ou'd tell me, so I can laugh too," he said. "

you about your inhospitality, and then you turn on him and ask him to go calling wit

felt like it. He's a rattling good fellow." And from thence the talk d

rowed the mask of disinterest, and laid her com

m somewhere back East, got into bad company

tance would have asked the questi

" quoth Bart

ter was plainly shocked. "How very dread

was his stake; it was all he had, and he couldn't afford to give it up. And now he has g

ed Constance. "That is singular. I shoul

sure to take with him. But we'll run him down yet, if he's on top of earth. Lansdale has seen more of him lately than

r for self-congratulation that he was able to comprehend the qu

Lansdale is a queer fish in some ways. When he's down he won't let anybody touch him on his money side, so we

nterest bestirred itself in its charitable par

f it might have come across the plains in Fifty-nine. Then he put a twenty-dollar bill and some loose silver in it, and dropped it on the sidewalk where I was walking Lansdale up and down for his health. After a while, when he'd actually stumbled over it four o

ds softly. "That was f

harm. Lansdale writes things for the papers, onl

terrupted Mis

ced him to Kershaw of the 'Coloradoan,' and he made Kershaw take fifty dollars on deposit, and got him to promise to accept some of Lansdale's sto

emes, and I envy him," said Conn

the 'Coloradoan,' and when he found he wasn't in it, he wouldn't send a

made a strenuous effort to evade the frontier idiom which stood ready to

riting it, and never once tumbled to the racket-that is, he never suspected that we were working him for a-oh, good Lord, why can't I talk plain English!-you know what I mean; he thought it was all straight. Well, he turned in the

tephen Elliott came in and the talk became general. An hour later

ow where Mr. Jeffard

set him upon the rig

quite a while ago; about t

you kn

me he w

! Where did you get

. Calma

hrust his hands deep into the pockets of his overco

o you care anyt

stand its pointing. "I've met him only once-or twice, I sho

you? about his g

t to ask me, Dick. It wasn'

s my friend a good while before he

oing quite right with him, and he said he was going

ked her up and down the long veranda twice before

one out on the prairie somewhere and taken a pot sho

, D

now him-or at least, know who he is. If you should happen to run across him in any of y

found a place for

im. He's too good a fellow to turn down in his little day of witlessness. Good-