howl and went to work. About this time Croghan sot up and gaped at me weirdly.
'It all comes back to me!' he gurgled. 'We was going to run Breckinridge Elkins out of town!'
He then fell back and went into shrieks of hysterical laughter which was most hair raising to hear.
'The wagon's loaded,' panted Joe Emerson. 'Take it and git out and be quick!'
'Well, let this be a lesson to you,' I says, ignoring his hostile attitude. 'Honesty's always the best policy!'
I then hit him over the head with a wagon spoke and clucked to the hosses and we headed for Panther Springs.
Old man Hopkins' mules had give out half way to Panther Springs. Him and the old lady was camped there when I drove up. I never seen folks so happy in my life as they was when I handed the team, wagon, hides and mortgage over to 'em. They both cried and the old lady kissed me, and the old man hugged me, and I thought I'd plumb die of embarrassment before I could git away. But I did finally, and headed for Panther Springs again, because I still had to raise the dough to git Glaze out of jail.
I GOT THERE ABOUT SUN-UP and headed straight for Judith's cabin to tell her I'd made friends with Uncle Jabez. Aunt Henrietta was cleaning a carpet on the front porch and looking mad. When I come up she stared at me and said, 'Good land, Breckinridge, what happened to you?'
'Aw, nothin',' I says. 'Jest a argyment with them fool buffalo hunters over to Cordova. They'd cleaned a old gent and his old lady of their buffalo hides, to say nothin' of their hosses and wagon. So I rid on to see what I could do about it. Them hairy-necked hunters didn't believe me when I said I wanted them hides, so I had to persuade 'em a leetle. On'y thing is they is sayin' now that I was to blame fer the hull affair. I apologized to Judith's uncle, too. Had to chase him from here to Cordova. Where's Judith?'
'Gone!' she says, stabbing her broom at the floor so vicious she broke the handle off. 'When she taken them pies and cakes to yore fool friend down to the jail house, she taken a shine to him at first sight. So she borrored the money from me to pay his fine--said she wanted a new dress to look nice in for you, the deceitful hussy! If I'd knowed what she wanted it for she wouldn't of got it--she'd of got somethin' acrost my knee! But she paid him out of the jug, and--'
'And what happened then?' I says wildly.
'She left me a note,' snarled Aunt Henrietta, giving the carpet a whack that tore it into six pieces. 'She said anyway she was afeared if she didn't marry him I'd make her marry you. She must of sent you off on that wild goose chase a purpose. Then she met him, and--well, they snuck out and got married and air now on their way to Denver for their honeymoon--Hey, what's the matter? Air you sick?'
'I be,' I gurgled. 'The ingratitude of mankind cuts me to the gizzard! After all I'd did for Glaze Bannack! Well, by golly, this is lesson to me! I bet I don't never work my fingers to the quick gittin' another ranny out of jail!'
THE END
CONTENTS
PILGRIMS TO THE PECOS
By Robert E. Howard
That there wagon rolled up the trail and stopped in front of our cabin one morning jest after sun-up. We all come out to see who it was, because strangers ain't common on Bear Creek--and not very often welcome, neither. They was a long, hungry-looking old coot driving, and four or five growed boys sticking their heads out.
'Good mornin', folks,' said the old coot, taking off his hat. 'My name is Joshua Richardson. I'm headin' a wagon-train of immigrants which is lookin' for a place to settle. The rest of 'em's camped three miles back down the trail. Everybody we met in these here Humbolt Mountings told us we'd hev to see Mister Roaring Bill Elkins about settlin' here-abouts. Be you him?'
'I'm Bill Elkins,' says pap suspiciously.
'Well, Mister Elkins,' says Old Man Richardson, wagging his chin-whiskers, 'we'd admire it powerful if you folks would let us people settle somewheres about.'
'Hmmmm!' says pap, pulling his beard. 'Whar you all from?'
'Kansas,' says Old Man Richardson.
'Ouachita,' says pap, 'git my shotgun.'
'Don't you do no sech thing, Ouachie,' says maw. 'Don't be stubborn, Willyum. The war's been over for years.'
'That's what I say,' hastily spoke up Old Man Richardson. 'Let bygones be bygones, I says!'
'What,' says pap ominously, 'is yore honest opinion of General Sterlin' Price?'
'One of nature's noblemen!' declares Old Man Richardson earnestly.
'Hmmmmm!' says pap. 'You seem to have considerable tact and hoss-sense for a Red-laig. But they hain't no more room on Bear Creek fer no more settlers, even if they was Democrats. They's nine er ten families now within a rech of a hunnert square miles, and I don't believe in over-crowdin' a country.'
'But we're plumb tuckered out!' wailed Old Man Richardson. 'And nowheres to go! We hev been driv from pillar to post, by settlers which got here ahead of us and grabbed all the best land. They claims it whether they got any legal rights or not.'
'Legal rights be damned,' snorted pap. 'Shotgun rights is what goes in this country. But I know jest the place fer you. It's ten er fifteen days' travel from here, in Arizony. It's called Bowie Knife Canyon, and hit's jest right fer farmin' people, which I jedge you all be.'
'We be,' says Old Man Richardson. 'But how we goin' to git there?'
'My son Breckinridge will be plumb delighted to guide you there,' says pap. 'Won't you, Breckinridge?'
'No, I won't,' I said. 'Why the tarnation have I got to be picked on to ride herd on a passle of tenderfooted mavericks--'
'He'll git you there safe,' says pap, ignoring my remarks. 'He dotes on lendin' folks a helpin' hand, don't you, Breckinridge?'
Seeing the futility of argyment, I merely snarled and went to saddle Cap'n Kidd. I noticed Old Man Richardson and his boys looking at me in a very pecooliar manner all the time, and when I come out on Cap'n Kidd, him snorting and bucking and kicking the rails out of the corral like he always does, they turnt kind of pale and Old Man Richardson said: 'I wouldn't want to impose on yore son, Mister Elkins. After all, we wasn't intendin' to go to that there canyon, in the first place--'
'I'm guidin' you to Bowie Knife Canyon!' I roared. 'Maybe you warn't goin' there before I saddled my hoss, but you air now! C'm'on.'
I then cut loose under the mules' feet with my .45s to kind of put some ginger in the critters, and they brayed and sot off down the trail jest hitting the high places with Old Man Richardson hanging onto the lines and bouncing all over the seat and his sons rolling in the wagon-bed.
WE COME INTO CAMP full tilt, and some of the men grabbed their guns and the women hollered and jerked up their kids, and one feller was so excited he fell into a big pot of beans which was simmering over a fire and squalled out that the Injuns was trying to burn him alive.
Old Man Richardson had his feet braced again the front-gate, pulling back on the lines as hard as he could and yelling bloody murder, but the mules had the bits betwixt their teeth. So I rode to their heads and grabbed 'em by the bridles and throwed 'em back onto their haunches, and Old Man Richardson ought to of knew the stop would be sudden. T'warn't my fault he done a dive off of the seat and hit on the wagon-tongue on his head. And it warn't my fault neither that one of the mules kicked him and t'other'n bit him before I could ontangle him from amongst them. Mules is mean critters howsoever you take 'em.
Everybody hollered amazing, and he riz up and mopped the blood offa his face and waved his arms and hollered: 'Ca'm down, everybody! This hain't nawthin' to git excited about. This gent is Mister Breckinridge Elkins, which has kindly agreed to guide us to a land of milk and honey down in Arizony.'
They received the news without enthusiasm. They was about fifty of 'em, mostly women, chillern, and half- grown young 'uns. They warn't more'n a dozen fit fighting men in the train. They all looked like they'd been on the trail a long time. And they was all some kin to Old Man Richardson--sons and daughters, and grandchillern, and nieces and nephews, and their husbands and wives, and sech like. They was one real purty gal, the old man's youngest daughter Betty, who warn't yet married.
