with leniently at that, because after all he was only
a tool in the hands of the real instigator of the crime. That real
instigator, by the way, was never apprehended.

The other man--he who had set fire to the prairie--got six years, and
cursed the judge and threatened the whole Happy Family with death when
the sentence was passed upon him--as so many guilty men do.

To go back to that preliminary, trial: The Happy Family, when H. J.
Owens was committed safely to the county jail, along with the fire-bug,
took the next train to Great Falls with witnesses and the Honorable
Blake. They filed their answers to the contests two days before the
time-limit had expired. You may call that shaving too close the margin
of safety. But the Happy family did not worry over that--seeing there
was a margin of safety. Nor did they worry over the outcome of the
matter. With the Homeseekers' Syndicate in extremely bad repute, and
with fully half of the colonists homeless and disgusted, why should they
worry over their own ultimate success?

They planned great things with their irrigation scheme.... I am not
going to tell any more about them just now. Some of you will complain,
and want to know a good many things that have not been told in detail.
But if I should try to satisfy you, there would be no more meetings
between you and the Happy Family--since there would be no more to tell.

So I am not even going to tell you whether Andy succeeded in persuading
Miss Rosemary Allen to go with him to the parson. Nor whether the Happy
Family really did settle down to raise families and alfalfa and beards.
Not another thing shall you know about them now.

You may take a look at them as they go trailing contentedly away from
the land-office, with their hats tilted at various characteristic angles
and their well-known voices mingled in more or less joyful converse,
and their toes pointed toward Central Avenue and certain liquid
refreshments. You need not worry over that bunch, surely. You may safely
leave them to meet future problems and emergencies as they have always
met them in the past--on their feet, with eyes that do not wave or
flinch, shoulder to shoulder, ready alike far grin fate or a frolic.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Flying U's Last Stand, by B. M. Bower

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLYING U'S LAST STAND ***

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