ft notes of Violet's melody soothing to the
ears as a distant song, the young man Fred came riding in from Ascalon,
the bearer of news. He began to talk before he struck the ground,
breathlessly, like a man who had beheld unbelievable things.

"That gang from Texas has took the town--everybody's hidin' out," he
reported.

"Took the town?" said Stilwell, incredulously.

"Stores all shut up, post-office locked and old man Flower settin' in
the upstairs winder with his Winchester across his leg waitin' for them
to bust in the door and steal the gover'ment money!"

"Listen to that!" said Stilwell, as the young man stood there hat off,
mopping the sweat of excitement from his forehead. "Where's that
man-eatin' marshal feller at?"

"He's killin' off everybody in town but his friends--he's killed eight
men, a man a day, since he's been in office. He's got everybody lookin'
for a hole."

"A man a day!" said Morgan, scarcely able to believe the news.

"Who was they?" Stilwell inquired, bringing his chair down from its easy
slant against the sod wall, leaning forward to catch the particulars of
this unequaled record of slaughter.

"I didn't hear," said Fred, panting faster than his hard-ridden horse.

"I hope none of the boys off of this range around here got into it with
him," Stilwell said.

"They say he's closed up all the gamblin' joints and saloons but
Peden's, and the bank's been shut four or five days, Judge Thayer and a
bunch of fellers inside of it with rifles. Tom Conboy told me the judge
had telegraphed to the governor asking him to send soldiers to restore
law and order in the town."

"Law and order!" Stilwell scorned. "All the law and order they ever had
in that hell-hole a man'd never miss."

"Where's the sheriff--what's he doing to restore order?" Morgan
inquired.

"The sheriff ain't doin' nothing. I ain't been over there, but I know
that much," Stilwell said.

"They say he's out after some rustlers," Fred replied.

"Yes, and he'll stay out till the trouble's over and come back without a
hide or hair of a rustler. What else are they doin'?"

"Rairin' and shootin'," said Fred, winded by the enormity of this
outlawry, even though bred in an atmosphere of violence.

"Are they hittin' anybody, or just shootin' for noise?" Stilwell asked.

"Well, I know they took a crack at me when I went out of Conboy's to git
my horse."

Mrs. Stilwell and Violet, who had hastened out on Fred's excited
arrival,