n as a lodestone for the attraction of Eastern capital.
But the lure of adventurous days still remained in the atmosphere. Men
who were assembled for the purpose of seeing what could be done about
getting a horseshoe-nail factory for White Lodge wound up the session by
talking about the days of the cattle and sheep war. All of which was
natural, and would have taken place in any town with White Lodge's
background of stirring tradition.

Until the murder on the Dollar Sign road there had been little but
tradition for White Lodge to feed on. The sheriff's job had come to be
looked upon as a sinecure. But now all was changed. Not only White
Lodge, but the whole countryside, had something live to discuss. Even
old Ed Halsey, who had not been down from his cabin in the mountains for
at least five years, ambled in on his ancient saddle horse to get the
latest in mass theory.

So far as theorizing was concerned, opinion in White Lodge ran all one
way. The men who had been arrested were guilty, so the local newspaper
assumed, echoing side-walk conversation. The only questions were: Just
how was the crime committed, and how deeply was each man implicated?
Also, were there any confederates? Some of the older cattlemen, who had
been shut out of leases on the reservation, were even heard to hint that
in their opinion the whole tribe might have had a hand in the killing.
Anyway, Fire Bear's cohorts should be rounded up and imprisoned without
delay.

Lowell was not surprised to find that he had been drawn into the vortex
of unfriendliness. More articles and editorials appeared in the "White
Lodge Weekly Star," putting the general blame for the tragedy upon the
policy of "coddling" the Indians.

"The whole thing," wound up one editorial, "is the best kind of an
argument for throwing open the reservation to white settlement."

"That is the heart of the matter as it stands," said Lowell, pointing
out the editorial to his chief clerk. "This murder is to be made the
excuse for a big drive on Congress to have the reservation thrown open."

"Yes," observed Rogers, "the big cattlemen have been itching for another
chance since their last bill was defeated in Congress. They remind me of
the detective concern that never sleeps, only they might better get in a
few honest, healthy snores than waste their time the way they have
lately."

Lowell paid no attention to editorial criticism, but it was not easy to
avoid hearing some of the perso