ouble 'em
up!"

"It looks like your trick, Judge."

"Yes, if I had the marshal with me the two of us could run this town the
way it ought to be run. And we'd keep the county seat here as sure as
sundown."

"Considerin' a change?"

"The folks over in Glenmore are--the question will come to a vote this
fall. The county seat belongs here, not away off there at Glenmore,
seven miles from the railroad."

"What's your chance?"

"Not very heavy right now. We can out-vote them in town, but the
country's with Glenmore, all on account of our notorious name. Folks
hate to come in here to court, it's got so bad. But we could do a lot of
cleaning up between now and November, Seth."

Seth considered it in silence, his red eyes on the dusty activities of
his late comrades at the cattle pens. He shifted his dusty feet as if
dancing to his slow thoughts, scraping his boot soles grittily on the
floor.

"Yes, I reckon we could, Judge."

"Half the people in Glenmore want to come over to the railroad. They'd
vote with us if they could be made to feel this was a town to bring
their families to."

Seth seemed to take this information like a pill under his tongue and
dissolve it in his reflective way. Judge Thayer left him to his
ruminations, apparently knowing his habits. After a little Seth reached
down for his hat in the manner of a man about to depart.

"All right, Judge; we'll clean up the town and part its hair down the
middle," he said.

Judge Thayer did not give vent to his elation on Seth Craddock's
acceptance of the office of city marshal, although his satisfaction
gleamed from his eyes and radiated from his kindly face. He merely shook
hands with his new officer in the way of men sealing a bargain, swore
him in, and gave him the large shield which had been worn by the many
predecessors of the meat hunter in that uncomfortable office, three of
whom had gone out of the world with lead enough in them to keep them
from tossing in their graves.

This ceremony ended, Seth put his hat firmly on his small, reptilian
head, adding greatly to the ferociousness of his thirsty countenance by
his way of pulling the sombrero down upon his ears.

"Want to walk around with me and introduce me and show me off?" he
asked.

"It'll be the biggest satisfaction in ten years!" Judge Thayer
declared.

CHAPTER III

FIRST BLOOD

Judge Thayer had completed the round of Ascalon's business section with
the town's new peace off