Billy" should
fight against the pedagogue and Steve.

Will consented, and they rode back to the schoolhouse, on the door
of which Willis pounded with his revolver butt, and when the door was
opened he invited Gobel and the "grammar man" to come forth and do
battle. But Steve had gone home, and the teacher, on seeing the two
gladiators, fled, while the scholars, dismissing themselves, ran home in
a fright.

That night mother received a note from the teacher.

He was not hired, he wrote, to teach desperadoes; therefore Will was
dismissed. But Will had already dismissed himself, and had rejoined the
larger school whose walls are the blue bowl called the sky. And long
after was his name used by the pedagogue to conjure up obedience in his
pupils; unless they kissed the rod, they, too, might go to the bad, and
follow in Will Cody's erring footsteps.

Willis and Will had gone but a piece on the road when horsemen were seen
approaching.

"Mr. Gobel and the officers are after me," said Will.

"Being after you and gittin' you are two different things," said the
wagon-master. "Lie low, and I'll settle the men."

Mr. Gobel and his party rode up with the information that they had come
to arrest Will; but they got no satisfaction from Willis. He would not
allow them to search the wagons, and they finally rode away. That
night, when the camp was pitched, the wagon-master gave Will a mule, and
accompanied him home. We were rejoiced to see him, especially mother,
who was much concerned over his escapade.

"Oh, Will, how could you do such a thing?" she said, sorrowfully. "It is
a dreadful act to use a knife on any one."

Will disavowed any homicidal intentions; but his explanations made
little headway against mother's disapproval and her disappointment over
the interruption of his school career. As it seemed the best thing to
do, she consented to his going with the wagon train under the care of
John Willis, and the remainder of the night was passed in preparations
for the journey.

CHAPTER VIII. -- DEATH AND BURIAL OF TURK.

THIS trip of Will's covered only two months, and was succeeded by
another expedition, to the new post at Fort Wallace, at Cheyenne Pass.

Meanwhile mother had decided to improve the opportunity afforded by
her geographical position, and under her supervision "The Valley Grove
House" was going up.

The hotel commanded a magnificent prospect. Below lay the beautiful
Salt Creek Valley. It derived i