Tom's just doin' what he thinks he
has to do!" and the Ramblin' Kid slipped the gun, unfired, back into its
holster.

A moment later Captain Jack whirled to the right across the Santa Fe
tracks and bearing a little to the east, in the direction of Capaline,
the dead volcano that rises out of the lavas northwest of the Quarter
Circle KT, between the Purgatory and the Cimarron, disappeared in the
black starlit night.

CHAPTER XX

MOSTLY SKINNY

It is a week to the day since the fight in the Elite Amusement Parlor in
Eagle Butte. Since the Ramblin' Kid, followed by the wicked sing of the
bullets from the marshal's gun, disappeared in the darkness no word has
come from the fugitive cowboy, who beat to a pulp the burly Greek.

The Gold Dust maverick paces uneasily about in the circular corral and
the Quarter Circle KT has settled into the hum-drum routine of ranch
life.

Parker, Charley, Chuck and Bert are gone to Chicago with the train-load
of beef cattle. Skinny bosses a gang of "picked-up" hay hands Old Heck
brought out from Eagle Butte to harvest the second cutting of alfalfa.
Pedro rides line daily on the upland pasture and Sing Pete hammers the
iron triangle morning, noon and night, announcing the regular arrival of
meal-time. The Chinaman is careful when he throws out empty
tomato-cans--turning back the tin to make it impossible for the yellow
cat again to fasten his head in one of the inviting traps, and the cook
would imperil the hope of the return of his soul to the flowery Orient
before he would put butter in the bottom of a can to entice the animal
into trouble.

Old Heck and Ophelia are like a pair of nesting doves and there is a new
vigor to the step of the owner of the Quarter Circle KT, a revived
interest in affairs generally; years seem to have fallen from his
shoulders.

Carolyn June smiles sweetly as ever at Skinny, spends much time riding
alone over the valley and hills; in her eyes there has come a more
thoughtful--often a wistful--expression.

Sabota did not die.

After the escape of the Ramblin' Kid the marshal reentered the pool-room
and had the big Greek removed to the hotel. A doctor was called and set
as well as possible the broken jaws, the crushed nose, picked out the
fragments of bone and the loosened teeth, sewed up the terrible gashes
on Sabota's face and left the bully groaning and profaning in
half-conscious agony.

The night of the fight Skinny took Old Pie Face back