W. C. Tuttle

“ They gulped their drinks, and went out into the street, where the only lights were those from the saloon and store windows.
“Somebody tryin’ to be funny,” grumbled the sheriff.
He went back into the Oasis. Some men had come from Moon’s store across the street, evidently wondering who had fired the shot. Two men with a lantern were fussing around a wagon in front of the blacksmith shop. One of the men came across from the store and went into the Oasis. It was Chet Le Moyne.
“Well, I reckon it was some puncher wishful of makin’ a noise,” decided Johnny Grant. ”

“ Johnny Grant went into details regarding the dog, which figured in the evidence, and by the time they got to Blue Wells, Hashknife and Sleepy knew practically all the details, as far as was known.
“We’ll know more about it when the train gets in,” said Oyster. “Them trainmen say they can identify the dog, if it’s the same one.”
They rode in to Blue Wells, and tied their horses at the Oasis hitch-rack. Hashknife and Sleepy went to the Oasis hotel, where they secured a room, after which they took their horses to the livery-stable. ”

“ The engineer and fireman positively identified the dog. The express messenger was not so positive, but said that it surely looked like the same dog. Johnny Grant, with a few drinks of liquor under his belt, walked out and took a close look at the dog.
“I’ve been at the Double Bar 8 a lot of times,” he told the sheriff, “but I never seen that dog before. I like dogs, Scotty. I never miss a chance to play with a dog, and if that dog was a reg’lar at the Double Bar 8, I’d shore know it.” ”

“ They’re strangers here, it seems.”
Marion and Jimmy strolled on toward the hotel and Le Moyne went to the store. Hashknife and Sleepy mingled with the crowd in the Oasis, and finally took seats at a table near the rear of the place. Business was good, all the games filled, and the bar was doing a big business.
The engineer, fireman and the express messenger came over to the saloon and joined the crowd at the bar.
“Plenty of excitement,” observed Hashknife. “This hold-up seems to have kinda stirred up Blue Wells, Sleepy.” ”

“ Hashknife noticed that the sheriff was at the bar, and that Johnny’s remark interested him.
“Except that yuh can’t very well lose at holdin’ up a train,” added Eskimo Swenson, who had caught the sheriff’s reflection in the mirror. “If yuh ever get the money in yore hands, yo’re as safe as a church. Political affluence shore as —— don’t make a sheriff a man-catcher.”
Realizing that this conversation was for his benefit, the sheriff moved away from the bar, while the AK boys chuckled over their drinks. Even Sleepy Stevens shed his pessimistic attitude and grinned. ”

“ But I’m —— if I know why yuh want to.”
“Thanks,” smiled Jimmy. “Johnny Grant asked you to do this, didn’t he?”
“Well, he said yuh was jist brainless enough to make a good puncher, if that’s what yuh mean.”
“Don’t cowpunchers have any brains, Mr. Bonnette?”
“Huh!” The old man spat explosively. “Evidence is all agin’ ’em! If they had any brains, they wouldn’t punch cows.”
Jimmy thanked him for the half-pay job, and rode away with the three cowpunchers, after Bonnette had warned them not to antagonize the sheriff again. ”

“ But it makes me tired. Every time we go anywhere, somethin’ happens. There’s no peace anywhere. When them fellers was tellin’ about that hold-up, yore nose was twitchin’ like the nose of a pointer dog. ”

“ It’ll mean a —— of a lot of hard work. I can’t pay yuh a cowpuncher’s wages, because yuh don’t sabe the work well enough to earn it; but I’ll pay yuh half-salary. It’ll sure as —— be an education to you, if yuh want to be a puncher. ”