W. C. Tuttle

“ Three of the fools fooled with dynamite,
One beat up an innocent man.
The price of a wheel was all that it cost.
You may beat it—I don’t think yuh can.”
“Beautiful,” says I. “You’ve got a soul, Muley. There’s still that box of dynamite of Mighty’s to account for.”
“He picked it up on his way home,” says Muley. “That’s settled.”
“Did Archibald Ames get his local color?” I asks, and Telescope shakes his head. “Archibald Ames didn’t wait for nothing. He even hired somebody to drive him to Silver Bend. ”

“ He’s so absent-minded that he’s liable to run away. He says to tell Ricky Henderson that his box of dynamite is either in the hay-loft or under his cabin floor. He can’t remember which.”
Art Miller is standing close to Chuck, and Chuck grabs him by the arm and whispers—“What does a new wheel for your stage cost, Art?”
“About eight dollars, Chuck—why?” “Here’s ten. Don’t ask me.”
While there is plenty of talk me and Chuck backs out and rides out of town. We’re in the bunk-house when Telescope and Muley and the old man comes home. Telescope and Muley comes in and looks us over, solemn-like. ”

“ Chuck can’t stand prosperity, and Tuesday is payday. He’s a roulette fiend, and he runs into bad luck every time he bucks a wheel in Paradise, so he wearies his bronc with monthly trips to Piperock. Once he won eight dollars up there. It cost him forty but he never figured that side of the ledger.
Anyway we wishes him many happy returns of the day, and he lopes away. As he forks his bronc he grins at Telescope, and says:
“To be a good actor, yuh got to imagine you’re the party you’re imitating. Just think you’re ‘Slippery’ Silverton, Telescope. He’s a good pattern to go by. Sabe?” ”

“ Muley will be there just the same."
"We'll go in the buckboard," says the old man. "In a case like this I'd go if I had to walk."
"I'd admire to walk," says Chuck, but the old man goes after the team, and me and Chuck helps each other limp to the bunk-house.
"Shake hands with a murderer, Henry," says Chuck, offering his hand. "I've killed the old man and crippled Doughgod for life—in my mind. You and me will spend the evening and night in the Paradise jail, Henry. Clay Peck."
"Can't yuh think of nothing cheerful to sing?" I asks. "If we're in jail we never will find that box. Think!" ”

“ Telescope is just riding away as we come in, and we don’t have a chance to talk with him, and Chuck don’t come home, ’cause he’s too danged ashamed to face Telescope.
The next morning the old man sends me and Muley over to the Triangle to get some cows that Johnny Myers brought out of the Sleeping Crick Hills with some of his, and we misses the picture-taking. We travels as fast as we can, but the stage has gone past when we hits the main road on our way back. There ain’t nobody at the Hell Gate crossing, so we pilgrims on to the ranch. ”

“ Telescope turns from the mirror and glares at us. “I’m glad I’m going to get away from you half-wits.”
“Has the old man been kicking on yuh wasting so much time over at the Bowers ranch, holding hands with Miss Amy, or has that tumble-bug yuh had down to the corral been whispering sweet nothings in your ear?” asks Chuck.
“You leave Miss Bowers’ name out of it!” snaps Telescope. “Mister Ames is a moving-picture man, and I may cease punching the festive cow to play hero parts for him. ”

“ We rides up and down that road from the ford to Mighty's place, but we don't find nothing. We stops at the old Soda Springs trail, which shows fresh tracks. By mutual consent we turns up the trail. About half a mile up the crick we discovers a camp.
We recognizes old "Frenchy" Timmons as the party humped over the fire, tossing flapjacks, so we rides up and greets him. He's got a couple of moth-eaten burros nosing around his little tent. ”

“ Mighty comes to town and acts like a man what has had delirious delight scared out of him. He anchors to Pelly’s bar until he’s gained normal again, and then he speaks knowingly of powder-thieves. Mighty’s half-loco, and what ain’t loco is absent-mindness, but just the same he has Muley arrested, and he hints of more arrests as soon as certain persons hit town. I seen Muley, and he said if I came this way to have Chuck and Hen come to see him. ”

“ We ambles over and looks up at the critter’s soles.
“Mister Ames,” orates Telescope, “I’m obliged to make yuh used to Muley Bowles. He’s the sylph-like critter in woolly chaps. That one with the sad, horse-faced features is Chuck Warner, the anti-George Washington of Yaller Rock County, and the other person down there is Henry Peck. They’re all harmless.
“Bunch, this is Mister Archibald Ames, who is to be with us for a spell.”
“I’m pleased to meet yuh,” smiles Archie.
“You ought to be,” agrees Muley. “It ain’t often that we shows this much interest in a stranger. ”

“ Ain't we the dangdest fools on earth!"
"By a majority of two," agrees Muley. "Telescope will be delighted."
"My——!" gasps Art. "Slippery Silverton! I think that box had a shipment from the Golden Cross. What a chance I took!"
"All the way from Piperock," says I, but I don't think Chuck got it—he was beyond words.
Me and Muley went up and had a drink, and Muley laughs so hard that he forgot to pay for it. We meets Art a little later on but there ain't much fun joshing him about it. ”

“ We advances on foot. There’s a white man setting on the sunny side of that teepee, and he’s in blissful ignorance until me and Chuck lands on his shoulders like two playful bears. He gets energetic, but Chuck taps him on the head with his gun, and we hog-ties him proper. ”

“ ME AND "Muley" Bowles and "Chuck" Warner are putting a saddle on a colt in the Cross J corral, when "Telescope" Tolliver enters the precincts of said ranch, and we gets our first glimpse of Archibald Ames.
Archibald occupies a seat on the buckboard with Telescope, and they soon comes over and climbs on top of the corral fence. Archibald's name fits him—in a way. The length of his first name indicates his girth and his last name his height. He's one of them persons who you'd never invite to set down, 'cause he don't seem to require no such posture. ”

“ After that feller helps himself he must 'a' scared that team, 'cause they runs away and scatters things all the way up to 'Mighty' Jones' place, where they smashes a front wheel on a stump and stops.
"Ricky says there was a box of dynamite from the Golden Cross, the same of which he holds careful in the seat. He said that he was meek when held up, 'cause he was afraid that feller might shoot into that box. That box is a goner, and it's a wonder it didn't blow that outfit to thunder—unless that's the treasure-box."
Art pilgrims back towards town, and we all starts for the corral. ”

“ I hears a deep breath, and Chuck sets down hard on the step. Old man Whittaker comes out, and they has to chaw the whole thing over again.
“Well,” says the old man, “I don’t think that Telescope done it, but under the circumstances I reckon he’ll have to go to jail.”
“At least yuh can have breakfast in bed,” consoles Muley, and then he recites:
“A man in jail don’t have no cares ”