nervously paced up and
down the room during the sending of the message. The agent finished and,
leaned his head sleepily on the table.

"Ought to answer in half an hour--if he's home," he informed Hollis.
Upon which Hollis slipped out of the door and returned down the street
to the sheriff's office, peering within Watkins still sat at the table
and in a chair near him lounged Allen, talking volubly. Hollis watched
for a time and then returned to the station to find the agent asleep
beside his instrument. Hollis had scarcely awakened him when the sounder
began its monotonous ticking. He leaned over the agent's shoulder and
read the governor's answer as the agent sleepily wrote it down.

"Ben Allen: You are hereby appointed sheriff of Union County in
place of W. Watkins, dismissed. Have Judge certify,"

"I reckon there must be somethin' goin' on," remarked the agent. "What's
the matter with Bill----"

But Hollis had snatched the message from his hand and was out into the
street in an instant and running down toward the sheriff's office. When
he arrived there Allen was still talking. He passed the telegram to him
and the latter rose to his feet and smiled at Watkins, shoving the
message under his nose.

"You can read her," he said. "Then you can go home an' quit
sheriffin'--after I've got through with you. You've been called down to
the court house. I'm takin' you, chargin' you with bein' an accessory
before the fact, or somethin' like that. It don't make no difference
what it is, you're goin' with me." His voice came sharp and chill:
"Jump!"

Judge Graney had dressed himself by the time the three arrived at the
court house and Watkins was roughly tumbled into the room which had been
set aside as the jail. Then the judge led Hollis and Allen into the
court room where he issued Allen's certificate of appointment.

"Now, I reckon we won't have no trouble in gettin' the soldiers," he
grinned. "This sheriff is goin' to act!"

CHAPTER XXX

FORMING A FRIENDSHIP

At three o'clock in the afternoon Hollis closed his desk and announced
to Potter that he was going to the Circle Bar. Potter watched him with a
fond smile as he went out the door and placed the saddle on his pony,
mounted and rode into the sunshine of the afternoon. The presence of the
troopers in town had created a sensation and most of the town's citizens
were gathered about the court house, curiously watching Dunlavey and
several of his m